I am Walker!
by AbaratFox
Summary: Neah Walker hates sharing his body with another person, even if it's technically their body. So after he takes over he tears out Allen's memories and implants them into another human. But will this really solve his problems?
1. Death of Allen Walker

** I typed all of this with a cat sitting on my arm. -_-**

**ANNNNYYWAY, new story! I don't own D. Gray-Man, blah, blah, blah. I did this because I'm really stressed by school right now and I need a way to relieve my emotions. :D

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**Lenalee sat in front of the empty coffin and stared forward like a doll. Tears streamed down both cheeks and stained her velvet dress but she didn't care. What value did a piece of fabric hold? Lavi, who was next to her, put and arm around her shoulder and she slumped against him. He whispered something soothing into her ear but she didn't hear it. A scene was playing in her head, over and over and over.

XXX

"Where's Allen? They called all of us exorcists here, right?" Lenalee asked as she looked around. Link had appeared in the cafeteria during dinner and ordered all personnel to go to Hebraska's area. Why was still unknown to all of them but Lenalee had run all the way there with Lavi tote.

"Dunno," Lavi said and he grinned at Lenalee. "But Tim's here so he can't be far away!" Lenalee followed his pointed finger to where Allen's golden golem was buzzing around. She let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding. If Timcampy was here then nothing bad had happened to Allen.

"Come here, Tim!" She called out and he zoomed towards her at top speed. Lenalee realized he was on a crash course with her face and she moved to the right so that Tim zipped by her ear and smacked Lavi in the face.

"Why you little-!" Lavi snarled and he grabbed both of Timcampy's cheeks and pulled them roughly.

"This is a serious occasion," Link said and both exorcists looked to see him step out of the shadows. "Please at least try to behave." Lavi frowned and let go of Timcampy. The little golem settled on top of Lenalee's head and glared at Link.

Lavi slumped onto the railing and looked down at Hebraska. Why had they been called here? Was something happening to the innocents? Lavi's hand brushed the comforting weight of the hammer against his leg and he recorded that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then had the heart been found?

Lavi herd a whirring noise and he looked up in time to see the elevator descending at an insane speed. Not many other people noticed it and everyone but Link, Bookman, and he jumped when it sped past. Lenalee rushed to his side and saw, much to her horror, Allen on the elevator with his innocents arm heavily bandaged. He was surrounded by seven members of Crow and Leverier stood at the front with a delighted look on his face.

"What…?" She muttered and she kept her eyes trained on Allen. What was happening?

The elevator stopped and there was dead silence in the cavernous room. She stared intently at Allen but he was looking at his feet. Next to her, Lavi stiffened and hardened his gaze. Something very bad was about to happen.

"Allen Walker," Leverier said with a grin. "Or should I call you the f-!"

"I'm Allen," Allen snapped and his friends were shocked at how haggard he sounded. They had last seen him at breakfast but he sounded like he had grown ninety years older since then.

"Very well, Mr. Walker. You are hereby charged of heresy. If you cooperate with us then you might avoid death." Leverier said and Lenalee covered her mouth with her hands. Lavi put his hands on the railing and his shoulders tensed as if he was about to jump over when he suddenly felt heavy.

"Please don't do anything rash, Bookman Jr." Link said and Lavi glared at him. The same seals that covered up Allen's innocents now encircled Lavi so he could not help his best friend. Lavi grit his teeth and looked back down to watch the scene unfold far below.

"One month ago you created a door to the arc that you sent both Kanda Yuu and Alma Karma through. Where did you send them?" Allen remained silent and he kept his head down. Leverier's grin widened and he pressed harder. "At the same time, you became the Fourteenth for a brief period of time, do you deny this?"

Still Allen said nothing. Leverier took a step forward and bent down to look at Allen in the face. He said something too quietly for anyone both the two to hear but even this got no reaction. Leverier straightened up and turned to Hebraska.

"Hebraska, remove his innocents." Leverier ordered and waves of outrage, confusion, and agreement rippled through the gathered audience.

"But…" Hebrask started but she faltered after Leverier smiled at her. "I'm sorry." She muttered and she picked Allen up off the ground. Allen made no move to resist as she lifted him up higher and higher and undid the bindings on his arm.

"I'm so sorry," She muttered again before Allen's arm was enveloped. There was a long pause while nothing happened then Allen tilted back his head and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Part of the Crown Clown is in Allen's heart, right?" Lenalee whispered to Lavi. She didn't dare look away from Allen who was curling into the fetal position in Hebraska's grip.

"Yeah." Lavi muttered back. Lenalee's breath hitched as Allen's free hand grasped at his chest and his innocents was twisted away from him. While Lenalee only had eye's for Allen's pain, Lavi noticed Timcampy struggling to get at its master even though it too was bound in Link's seals and he noticed what the Crown Clown was doing.

As it was withdrawn from Allen's body it became a mask and a white cape. It struggled in Hebraska's grip to become Allen's left arm once more but Hebraska just pulled it further and further away until it was locked within her. She held Allen for a little longer until his scream subsided and he had regained semi-consciousness then one of her 'fingers' touched the stub that his innocents had once been attached to.

"Synchronization at 0%" Hebraska muttered and Allen looked away from her as if he was ashamed. Lenalee wanted to run up to him and comfort him but she knew that that would just make the situation worse. Allen's world had revolved around his innocents, what would he do now?

Allen was placed on his feet back on the elevator but he couldn't even hold up his own body weight. Allen collapsed onto the ground and he struggled to get himself to his hands and knees but in the end, he failed.

"You are also found guilty of consorting with a Noah." Leverier told the crumpled form of Allen Walker. "And for that, the punishment is death."

Dead silence. Even the ones that had approved of Allen's innocents removal were shocked by this. Lenalee felt blood rushing in her ears and suddenly she was slammed against the wall. "uhgh…" She hissed as the wind was knocked out of her. Lavi groaned and Lenalee realized he had his back up to the wall as well; in fact all of Allen's friends were in the same position.

Every single person that would have wanted to help Allen had been sealed to the wall by Crow.

"Stop! You can't do this!" Many people started shouting but Lenalee found that she could do nothing but watch as Allen was hauled to his feet by two members of Crow; one grabbed his right arm and the other grabbed his stub. They made him stand until Leverier ordered him to get to his knees. It was at this moment that Allen started to struggle but he was easily overpowered. He was paralyzed by a third member of crow and he hung limply in the first two's grasp.

He was held up by his arm and stub but the rest of his body was slumped forward. "This is the punishment for your blasphemy." Leverier said and he pressed a knife against the nape of Allen's neck. Lenalee found she could not look away and time seemed to slow down as the blade went up then started its arch down.

She screamed as it bit into Allen's flesh but it was already too late. Why had this happened? Allen was her friend, he was a good person! She shut her eyes and turned her head away knowing that she would be unable to see the headless body of her companion.

"A-Allen?" Lavi muttered next to her and Lenalee cracked her eye open to look at him. Lavi looked stunned and there were tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. "Allen!"

"Heh…heheh…." Lenalee heard a deranged giggle far below her and she hazarded a glance down. Allen was standing in the center of the elevator, surrounded by unconscious members of Crow. Leverier was on his ass with his back against the edge on the elevator. His knife was now in Allen's hand.

…Allen's gray hand.

_The fourteenth? _

"I should kill you where you sit for attempting to harm me." The Fourteenth said in a sing song voice that sent shivers down Lenalee's spine. "But, unfortunately, there is a role you must fulfill. Until we meet again, Leverier."

Neah looked up and Lenalee got her first look at his face. It was the same dark gray color as his arm and both of his eyes were a beautiful golden color. Lenalee's heart leapt to her throat and she felt a wave of revulsion. Why had she thought that those hellish golden eyes had been beautiful?

She flinched as Neah raised a hand and pointed in her direction. There was the sound of something breaking and Timcampy was freed however the golem made no move to join Neah. Instead it perched on the handrail and looked down at the person that had once been his master.

"Either you come with me or I destroy you." Neah told the golem with a smile. "You have a song of mine that the Order does not need to see." Timcampy glanced back at Lavi and Lenalee before it reluctantly sailed down to hover a few feet behind Neah. Clearly it did not trust him.

"Not so fast, Fourteenth!" Link shouted and he jumped down to the elevator. Lenalee hadn't even seen him move from his position in the shadows and Neah frowned at him as he got close.

"Hey," Neah muttered. Link glared at him and withdrew some more seals from an inner pocket but before he could attack Neah punched him in the stomach and sent him careening into Hebraska who caught him and held him a safe distance away from the young Noah. "I never liked you anyway."

Neah raised his hand and a door to the white arch opened. "Stop him!" Link yelled and all the bindings on the audience dissolved but by then it was already too late. Neah had disappeared and the door had been shattered. It would be latter revealed that every single known door to the arc had been destroyed as well.

…Every

Single

One.

Allen was gone.

XXX

Lenalee and Lavi didn't move for a long time after Allen's funeral had ended. Komui hadn't even said a word when he saw Lavi with his arm around his little sister, so great was his depression.

"Do you want to go to your room?" Lavi whispered as he rested his chin on top of her head. He scanned the area for Bookman, half hoping that the old man would smack him for such an obvious display of affection. At least that would return some normality to his life.

Lenalee said something too softly for Lavi to hear and he took his head off hers. "What?" He asked and he tilted up her head so he could see her eyes.

"We have to find Allen," Lenalee said and her voice as hard with determination. "And if we can't save him then we have to kill the Fourteenth… just like he asked us to." Lavi stared at her is surprise. It was true that Allen had asked them to kill him but Lavi suspected that he had been forced to say that.

"Lenalee…" Lavi started but Lenalee cut him off by kissing him on the lips.

"Goodnight Lavi." She muttered and she ran out of the cathedral before Lavi could even react.

XXX

Neah sighed and left the piano room. It had taken a long time but he had finally destroyed all traces of doors to the arc. Allen sure had made a lot of them. As if on cue, Allen once again began to struggle in the back of Neah's mind but he was bound to well to regain control. However it was rather annoying.

"Calm down," Neah said out loud but his words had the opposite effect. Allen strained even harder until Neah could feel his weak thoughts mixing in with his own. "That's enough."

"Fuck you."

"That's not very nice."

"Give me back my body!" Allen snarled inside his head. Neah stopped walking and Timcampy backed off after seeing the rage in the noah's eyes. Neah chewed on his lip before he grinned. Allen was just a tiny voice in the back of his head, why should he have to put up with him?

"No, now go back to sleep," Neah said soothingly and he started to hum a lullaby.

"No! Stop it! I will never give in to you!" Allen yelled and there was an edge of desperation to his voice. Neah's grin widened and he started to sing out lyrics. "Shut up! I won't…give…in…too…" Allen said as the lullaby enveloped him.

He felt blissful and comfortable. Neah's song promised him something better when he woke up but only if he went to sleep now. The singing was just so soft and sweet… Allen wanted desperately to recover himself and to control his own body but as Neah started a new song it became impossible. Allen fell asleep.

"Lullaby, child, lullaby  
The child will quickly go to sleep  
Lullaby, child, lullaby  
The child will soon be asleep.

A white hen  
Is there in the barn  
It will lay an egg  
For the child who's going to sleep.

Lullaby, child, lullaby  
The child will quickly go to sleep  
Lullaby, child, lullaby  
The child will soon be asleep.

Everybody's good  
In the neighborhood  
It's time to go to sleep  
Very soon you'll be asleep."

It was an old French song that Neah had translated, roughly, into English but it seemed to do the trick. He rubbed the back of his neck and started down the path of the arc once more, pausing only to pick up a sleeping Timcampy as he walked.

"Sorry Mana," Neah muttered as he glanced at his reflection in a sheet of glass. "I would never have knowingly chosen your son." He walked in silence for a long time until he reached an empty door. He touched the handle and made a connection to earth.

"Sorry Allen, you won't like this at all." He said before he stepped out of the arc and into the outside world.

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**Good? Bad? Continue? Banish to the pits of Hell? Won't know if you don't review! **


	2. Actions are taken

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm going to continue writing this for a while yet! **

**Still don't own D. Gray-Man. :(  
**

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Neah entered the coat closest of some hospital in Norway. He quickly shrank the ark door with a wave of his hand and some muttered notes so that it would not be noticeable but it was still there. It was a handy little trick and Neah was pleased that Allen had never discovered it. Couldn't have the order knowing all of his secrets now could he?

The room was long and it had the street clothing of admitted patients hanging in neat little rows. Neah let his skin fade to Allen's natural color and his eyes become blue-gray once more but he was careful not to allow Allen to wake up. In his head he sang every lullaby he could think of and he pushed Allen further and further into sleep. He would wake the lad up after he had finished his current mission.

Neah peered out of the rooms tiny window before he stripped out of Allen's 'gentleman's' clothes and recovered himself with some old white scrubs. Allen's clothes were hung up with the rest of the uniforms and Neah put on a confident face before he marched out of the coat room and strolled down the halls of the hospital as if he owned the place. Seeing as how he was short an arm and very young it might have been more prudent for Neah to pretend to be a patient but there was no way he was ever going to where one of those ridicules gowns. Besides, doctors had more freedom to do what they wanted.

No one, not even the doctors, stopped Neah or asked him why he was there. The Noah radiated an aura of 'I belong here' and he kept on stopping to wish his condolences to grieving relatives. Neah even walked into a patients' room and asked a nurse to give the groaning man more morphine. The nurse nodded and scuttled off while Neah picked up the man's clip board and wrote down that the daily dosage had been admitted.

It wasn't really that much fun for Neah but he smiled as he did it.

Timcampy, who had been jammed into Neah's scrub pocket, started to come to and Neah stuck his hand into his clothes and held the little golem in place. There were a lot of people around and Neah did not want to attract attention to himself by having a golem fly out of his pocket. Little fangs sank into the soft skin between his thumb and forefinger and Neah squeezed him without dropping the sympathetic smile. The two continued there discreet battle until Neah entered an abandoned part of the hospital and he pulled Tim out.

"That was not very nice," He said to the creature with a smile before he threw it at a wall. Neah smirked as Timcampy dislodged himself from a small impact crater. "Let's go." Neah said and he walked deeper into the silent ward.

Timcampy fluttered angrily. He hated seeing the Noah walk around so easily in Allen's form! Make no mistake, Timcampy knew that Allen was still alive and he would continue to protect his master from everyone! He would protect Allen because he loved him. Timcampy would not lose Allen the way he had lost Cross.

"Are you coming?" Neah said and he glared at Tim over his shoulder. Timcampy considered dive bombing the noah's head but eventually just followed from a distance. An angry Neah would undoubtedly result in pain on his part. "Good." Neah said and he started up his fast walk once more.

If he had a voice of his own, Timcampy would have demanded to know why they were in a coma ward but he did not. All Tim could do was follow and wait to see what the Noah would do next.

XXX

Lavi ran a finger over his lips thoughtfully. Lenalee had kissed him and he didn't know what to do about it. He could have sworn that she had the hots for Allen. Or maybe she did and she was just confused… Lavi ran a hand through his hair and growled. Why hadn't he just stayed true to the practices of Bookmen? Then he wouldn't be in this emotional minefield!

With that in mind, Lavi got up from his seat and shook out his legs to get rid of the pins and needles feeling. He walked forward and he put a hand on Allen's empty coffin. Allen was dead… or at least that was the message the church was trying to sell.

He had, like all the exorcists, had been ordered to kill the fourteenth on sight. Even Lenalee seemed to have fallen for their scam. Well Lavi didn't buy any of it. Allen Walker was still alive! People like him never caved easily.

Lavi snorted as he thought of having an irate Allen living in the back of his head but then he felt worse. He looked around the dark, oppressive cathedral and he frowned. Most order funerals had candles lit and flowers everywhere but Allen's funeral had been devoid of both. Either people did not think he was dead or they were glad that he was.

Most likely it was the former. Lavi had already heard people grumbling about how Allen had let the fourteenth take over…how he was hazardous to the order…that they were glad he was gone. Poor Johnny had been unable to cope with the stress and had locked himself in his bedroom. Even Reever and Tapp's sister could not get him to come out. Lavi had been surprised to see him walk in for the funeral but even then Johnny had refused to talk to or look at anyone and he had left as soon as the service was over.

Lavi looked around the dark room. It was true that he did not believe that Allen was dead but it _was_ his funeral. And hot damn, it had to be the most depressing funeral Lavi had ever attended.

"I'll be back," He said to the coffin. Lavi walked out of the cathedral and slipped out of the order headquarters without anyone noticing him. It took him a few hours but eventually he found what he was looking for. He reentered the headquarters and paid a visit to the room he and Bookman shared. The old man was sitting on his bed and he watched in silence as Lavi rummaged through their shared desk until he found what he was looking for.

Lavi returned to the cathedral and he marched up to the coffin. He placed a bundle of flowers on the lid, there were twenty of ranging size and shape and they provided an explosion of color. Lavi was about to set the last object on the coffin as well but he stopped. In his hand he held the ace of spades he had recovered from china so long ago.

"I think I'll keep this a little longer." He muttered and he pocketed the card. He had carried it for such a long time already and it was almost as important to him as his innocents. "At least until we meet up again."

Lavi and Johnny were the only two people that did not attend Allen's burial.

XXX

Neah peered into a dirt window and say a young male coma patient inside. Finally, something he could use! He looked up and down the hallway before he slipped inside the room, keeping the door open just long enough for Timcampy to fly in after him. The golem gave him a suspicious look and Neah snorted.

"Cross really did make you too well. Golems are supposed to be objects, not companions." He informed Tim but the golem clearly did not care in the slightest what Neah had to say. Timcampy flew to the small greasy window and sat down on the sill so it could watch what Neah was planning to do. No good could come out of the Noah was planning.

Neah strode to the dingy, off-white bed and placed a hand on the boy's forehead. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he pushed his way into the boy's brain and looked around. Neah opened his eyes and grinned.

The boy's mind was dead. His body was just barely operating and would likely be dead by the end of the week if left on its own. It was a pity, Neah supposed for such a young child to be in that state but it was too the Noah's advantage. Neah pulled off the sheets and examined the specimen.

He looked to be about twelve years old and was pretty small for his age. He had shaggy golden-brown hair and, when Neah pried them open, green eyes. There was a long scar that ran from the boy's left temple and down to his chest. That was presumably the reason for his coma but Neah didn't care enough to do any deeper investigation. The form could be altered, all Neah really needed was the basic body.

There was a dusty stretcher with wheels in the corner. Well he already had scrubs so what was the harm in taking that? Neah unfolded the old contraption and loaded the boy onto it. This operation was made difficult because he had only one arm and Neah made a mental note to create a new one later. Neah curled his lip in disgust as a strand of drool dripped from the boy's chin to his borrowed scrubs so he dropped him rather abruptly. He glared at the offending wet mark over his breast before he moved the boy around so he looked comfortable. Not like there was any point, he was dead anyway.

Other than the saliva, the boy was transferred without incident. Neah sighed and checked the hallway once more before he pushed the boy out. This was going smoother than he had hoped. Just as Neah thought that he felt Allen start to stir. Shit! He had stopped singing at some point and Allen was coming out of the deep sleep. Neah grit his teeth but continued to push the coma-boy down the hall.

"What…? Where…?" Allen muttered and Neah shushed him. Neah was keeping Allen from seeing the outside world and he spoke softly, hoping that Allen could be easily lured back into sleep.

"Go back to sleep, Allen." Neah said out loud and Timcampy landed on the stretcher and gazed at the Noah as if it was looking for some glimmer of its master. Neah waved his hand at the little vulture but Tim continued to stare at him hungrily.

"Fourteenth? Why are you-?"

"I'm Neah, remember?" Neah grumbled reproachfully and he furrowed his brow. His ex-host could be very dense at times. "Now, go to sleep." He ordered.

"No way! Give me back my body!" Allen snarled. Neah pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. God how he hated sharing a body! Neah started to sing softly out loud as he walked but Allen was capable of greater resistance than he had been previously.

Timcampy had fallen asleep against the coma-boy and Neah hissed in agitation. Allen needed to be asleep! He started singing a little louder but Allen still would not back down.

"Just go to sleep! You've lost!"

"No I haven't! I'll fight you until I die!"

"Don't tempt me," Neah snarled and he broke out into a loud song. All over the hospital, people collapsed and as they heard the song and slowly, Allen's protests ebbed away into silence. Neah continued to sing as he walked through the halls and he kicked sleeping people out of his way.

Allen did not understand the position Neah was in so he would never grasp the fact that Neah _needed_ his body. Not that anyone could blame him; Neah knew that he would be just as resistant as Allen if some foreign entity invaded his mind.

_I know that you might not understand what's going on but please sleep for a little longer._ Neah whispered to Allen in his mind without stopping his song. _I don't want to kill the people you love. I don't want to destroy you. So just sleep for a little longer and everything will work out. _

Allen did not respond and Neah almost regretted taking over his body. _Almost._ Neah dragged the boy into the coat closet and changed back into Allen's clothes. He glared at the gown that coma-boy was wearing before he started to rummage around. Eventually he found a set of black pants and a white shirt that looked to be the right size.

Neah changed coma-boys quickly before he expanded the door to the Ark and pushed him inside. Neah shattered the door behind him and he started the long trek up to the piano room. He still had a lot of work to do before.

Neah still had not stopped singing.

XXX

Link had wandered to Hebraska's area without really meaning to. He still had to remain at the order's headquarters but he had not received any orders as to what he should be doing. Link was disappointed with his own performance.

All he needed to do was keep an eye on Walker but apparently he couldn't even do that. Link felt no bonds of friendship with Walker. He neither liked nor disliked the boy and so he had agreed to help with Walker's execution without any qualms.

Link rubbed his hands together in agitation. What was he supposed to be doing? Should he be hunting down Walker with the rest of Crow? Link honestly did not know. He sighed and looked up at the tiled ceiling far above. Nothing had gone as planned.

"Please calm down!" Link's head snapped forward and he darted to the elevator to see what was wrong with Hebraska for it was she that had shouted.

Crown Clown was trying to escape. It was in the form of a mask and cape and it was attempting to wriggle free of Hebraska's fingers. Link stared in amazement at the twirling Innocents before he took some seals out of his coat and prepared the throw them but he quickly realized that he could not. The Crown Clown was turning and rolling so much that Link could do nothing for fear of hitting Hebraska. Normally that would not have been a problem but she was actually doing a pretty good job of containing it.

"Stop! Allen walker is dead, please just listen to me!" Hebraska begged but the Crown Clown would not have it. In fact, it merely seemed to become enraged. The eyes on the mask narrowed dangerously and it dove at Hebraska's head, nearly getting caught in the process.

Hebraska was clearly frustrated. It was her duty to hold the Innocents until it found its master but the Crown Clown wanted to join a Noah! She reached out and was about to wrap her hand around the Innocents when it sped up once more.

"Please, Crown Clown," Hebraska reasoned. "If you go to the fourteenth you will be destroyed!" She reached out again and managed to envelope the Crown Clown by first grabbing the mask. The Crown Clown wriggled but Hebraska drew it in and lowered it into a storage unit, carefully sealing it back inside.

Link sighed in relief as the Crown Clown disappeared back into Hebraska. A catastrophe had been averted. He took out his notebook and began to write up a report, Leverier would want to know about this.

What both Link and Hebraska failed to notice was a tiny grain of Innocents slip out of the storage unit. The grain traveled unseen by all, up past Hebraska and it slipped under a door. It continued to sneak through the order until it came to an open window which it used to slip out. Another grain fell out of the storage unit as soon as the first had left and it took a new route out of the order.

The Crown Clown had returned to the state it had been after the encounter with Tyki Mikk and it was in this form that it planned to return to its master. No matter what, it would return to Allen's side.

* * *

**That kind of felt like a continuation of the intro but oh well. Plot emerges slowly. **


	3. Allen awakens

**It's hard to keep Neah in character because I don't really know that much about him. He called Allen and the Earl 'mad puppets' but that's really all I have on him. TT_TT **

**Eh, well I hope that's enjoyable!  


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**The plan had not originally included Allen. Hell, even as the kid grew up Neah had always planned on crushing his mind when the time was right. Ironically, Allen was now a key player in his plans. Well, _technically_ Allen wasn't. Neah needed the Crown Clown and the only way to use that was to use its master.

The Crown Clown was probably not the Heart but it had evolved to be the opposite of the Earl's sword. Neah didn't know exactly how this had happened or why but he intended to use the Crown Clown for as long as he could. Unfortunately the Crown Clown hated Neah with a burning passion for being a threat to Allen. So, Neah needed to keep Allen alive and manipulate him to work for his cause.

So long as Allen Walker still drew breath the Crown Clown would want to be by his side.

Neah found it incredibly amusing that the people of the Black Order thought the Clown might have joined Allen because of Neah. The Clown had loved its master since Allen was an infant and had attached early enough for Allen to have been born with a 'disfigured arm'. The two of them had been together for years before Neah had even entered the picture.

The Crown Clown had freaked out when Neah implanted his memories into the young Allen and the Innocents had tried to remove them but Neah had locked them in too deeply. It had tolerated him, but only just. The Crown Clown had even taken measures to keep Neah suppressed so the second it had been removed…Neah took the opportunity. The crown clown was probably already trying to break out of the order to return to its master's side at the very moment.

Neah dropped the coma-boy in a heap on the white couch he kept in the piano room. He felt a tad guilty about the untidy sprawl and he nervously rearranged the arms into a more comfortable looking position. Timcampy, on the other hand, had been tossed over onto the piano seat and the stretcher was rolling off somewhere in the Ark.

_Calm down, you'll make a mistake if you're this nervous._ Neah told himself but he didn't feel any less skittish. He wished Mana or even Cross were around to comfort him. Although…did Cross even like Neah anymore? Did Mana even remember him? _Doesn't matter._

Neah stopped singing and he took a deep breath. Allen did not stir and Neah felt relived. He reached deep down and prodded Allen a bit but the boy still did not wake. Good, Neah needed songs other than lullabies to complete this operation and if Allen was this far into sleep then he could stop without worrying about him waking up. Neah didn't know if he would be able to sedate the boy again, Allen was becoming resistant to his powers.

At least it would all be over soon. Allen would be gone and Neah would not have to worry about losing control.

Neah started to mutter a song of his own creation and he felt dark matter gathering around him. He had to be careful to use just enough of the stuff that it would permanently alter both his and the coma-boy's appearance but if he used too much then the Crown Clown would react negatively to them.

He raised his stub and dark matter enveloped it. He closed his eyes in concentration and his voice grew harsh as the dark matter started to tug at the torn nerve endings. Tiny trails of sweat ran from his temple to his chin and he grit his teeth so that he had to hiss out his song.

God damn, Neah hated using dark matter! It had to be the most painful medium in the world! However, it was very workable and it got the job done.

Neah finished creating a perfect, pale arm and he flexed it experimentally before he wiggled his fingers. Step one; complete. Neah sang a few bars of a lullaby to Allen even though the boy still had not begun to stir. You could never be too careful with people like Allen.

The next few steps did not require a song to complete so Neah continued to sing his lullaby. All Neah had to do was patch up the hole in his heart and turn his hair black…well there were a few other steps such as making his hair a bit more spiky and making his eyes a darker gray but those were minor and Neah completed them with barely a twitch of his finger.

When he was done Neah glanced in the mirror and he was pleased to see his own face looking back and not Allen's. He still looked more like Allen than he did like his original body but it was pretty good. He looked more like a half-brother of Allen than anything else. Neah changed his skin into the dark form to be sure that his artificial arm would change too. It did. Neah changed back to his white form and ruffled his hair with his new hand.

Well, now it was time for the really hard part. Alter the coma-boy so he looked like Allen. Neah rubbed his chin thoughtfully and he examined the boy from every angle to get a quick estimate on what exactly he would have to do to make the operation complete. Neah pulled off the gown and quickly looked at the boy's body to determine what other things needed changing.

Neah knew exactly what Allen's body should look like; after all it belonged to _him_ now. At least coma-boy's body structure was basically the same… the fingers were a little stubby and the cheekbones were a little low but at least those bones were easy to alter with dark matter. It was a good thing that Neah was a perfectionist because if he cut any corners with this Allen would notice, who wouldn't?

"Well, no time like the present," Neah grumbled half-heartedly. He strode the length of the room so that he stood next to his piano and he picked Timcampy off the seat before he tossed the golem over his shoulder. Neah then dragged the seat over to the couch and he sat down so that he was positioned in front of the boy's midriff.

Neah placed one hand on the boy's chest and the other over his navel. There was a weak pulse and Neah concentrated on making it stronger until he could almost hear the boy's heart thumping. Dark matter could very easily kill a human if their blood wasn't moving quickly and that was something Neah didn't want to risk. That would mean that he would have to fetch a new body and it would take even longer to remove Allen.

Dark matter gathered around Neah's fingertips and he instructed it with song to move across the boy. First he made the skin shade several shades lighter and he made all the hair turn white. After that, Neah worked on changing the eye color and making the nose longer. Slowly, Neah worked the dark matter and tweaked the coma-boy's appearance. Neah gave him Longer hair, thinner eyebrows, removed the scar on his temple and chest, added a scar to the bottom of his foot (long story), turned the fingerprints from swirls into whirls, fixing his teeth, and so on until the boy was utterly unrecognizable from the person Neah had abducted from the Norwegian hospital.

Now the boy was the clone of a thirteen year old Allen Walker, exempting the cursed mark on his eye but the curse was on Allen's soul and not his body so putting it on would be pointless. Neah slumped over on his seat and panted, sweat dripping onto the floor. That had been even more work than Neah had expected but he was pleased with the result. Even Cross, hell, even Mana would not have been able to tell that the boy wasn't Allen! Neah spent a few more seconds catching his breath before he got off his chair and bent over so his face was hovering above the fake Allen's

"Last bit," He muttered and he grabbed the boy's left wrist and held it up until his arm was straight. Neah gathered dark matter around his other hand and, after a few quick estimates; he cut off the boy's left arm so all that was left was a stump. The fake Allen's arm made a sizzling noise and Neah caught a whiff of bacon as the dark matter burnt the wound. The burn was pretty deep and terrible looking but at least it meant that the boy wasn't bleeding to death so Neah thought it was a fair trade.

Neag straightened up and held up the arm, feeling a little awkward. He had never really thought about what he was going to do with the severed arm and after a few minutes of contemplation, Neah made a door in the Ark and he tossed the spare limb into some abandoned warehouse in London. Weird shit happened in London, the severed and burnt arm of a child wouldn't raise _too_ many questions.

XXX

Timcampy woke up in time to see Neah put the piano chair back and the first thing that struck it was Neah's appearance change. It was not Allen that Timcampy was looking at but a black haired boy of the same height and build and with two pink arms. At least that was how it looked to the golem until Neah turned around and Tim could see Allen's face looking down at him with a smirk the real Allen never would have worn.

"Look who's finally up." Neah said and Timcampy picked itself off the carpet and twitched it's tail indignantly. Was it Tim's fault that Neah had put it to sleep? "Oi, don't get up on your high horse. I could have left you in that hospital." Neah said pleasantly.

The Noah bent down to pick Tim up but the golem shot up and landed on the piano several feet away. It did not want to be touched by Neah and it felt a little insulted that Neah had thought that it had needed help. "Suit yourself. At least I'm trying to be civil." Neah sighed and ruffled up his hair.

Timcampy glared at Neah as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Right, well I need a nap so could you please try to not mess up any of my stuff?" Neah grumbled and he stumbled over to a nearby couch and collapsed on top of it, asleep as soon as his head hit the armrest.

The room was irritatingly clean and white and it bothered Timcampy a little bit. Cross would have had the place filled with women and booze, Allen would have left empty plates everywhere (and maybe a couple of stalker-women too) but Neah? He just had everything pure white and clean. Timcampy wrapped its wings around itself in a comforting matter but that didn't help. If anything Tim felt even lonelier.

Timcampy looked around the room and its eyes fell onto a small child slumped on another couch. A child that was short an arm and had pure white hair. _No way…_ Timcampy covered it's face with it's wings but when it looked back the bow was still there. Tim felt weak with joy and it zoomed over to the sleeping Allen and it smacked the boy on the side of his face.

Allen was alive! Tim snuggled against the side of it's masters face for a few seconds before it realized that something was off. Allen had no curse mark and, for some strange reason, he was naked and several years younger than he should have been. Perturbed, Timcampy tried to gently wake Allen but he got no response.

Eventually, Tim bit Allen's ear but Allen still did not wake up. Was this some new trickery of the fourteenth? Tim glared over at the only other sleeping figure in the room and it's brain worked a million miles a minute as it tried to figure out what was going on.

Then a few pieces clicked. The coma-boy! He had gone missing but Allen was here! Only it wasn't Allen so…Neah had done something to the coma-boy to make him look like Allen. Timcampy felt the strong urge to fly at the Noah and demand answers but it held back. Neah would only throw him into another wall or worse, try to destroy him. Timcampy would have to wait and see what would happen next, like he always did.

The little golem curled up next to the fake Allen's neck and it placed a wing protectively over one of his shoulders. Tim would guard the fake-Allen and wait to see what would happen to the real Allen with Neah in control.

XXX

Lavi would not admit that he was depressed.

Johnny would not admit that he was depressed.

Bookman, Lenalee, Komui, Reever, Kory, Miranda, Marie, Chaoji, and Timothy were all depressed. Of course, they all put up a happy façade and avoided the subject they were all thinking about. What had happened to Allen Walker? Whose side was the Fourteenth on?

Well they might be unwilling to admit it but the cook, Jerry, could tell. Almost everyone in the Black Order was asking for less food at mealtimes and they almost never ate anything that he gave them. Everyone had lost a lot of weight since the white-haired boy had left and Jerry was starting to get worried about some of them. He could see the bones in Johnny's face in sharp relief, Lenalee's once comfortably tight clothing now hung loosely, and Timothy had started a growth spurt but he was only getting a fourth of the sustenance that he needed. The air of depression around the black order was so thick it could be cut with a knife and it had only been the third day since Allen's disappearance!

Jerry was depressed as well but at least he still ate a healthy amount of food. He showed his hurt in a different way. Jerry was still in the habit of waking up early and cooking massive amounts of food in preparation for Allen's arrival but the second he opened his eyes he remembered that Allen was gone. Whenever he started to make grocery lists that were fifty pages long he would remember that he no longer had Allen to feed.

No one remembered when Allen had become so important to them but he had. Jerry had even heard from Komui that the Asian branch was in a bad way as well. How had Allen worked himself into all of their hearts? He was a glutton, a card shark, a brat, and he had a massive ego. So how had that person become so close to all of them?

To simply put it, it was because Allen loved all of humanity and it was hard to hate someone that loved you.

Well at least that's what Jerry thought.

Jerry never told anyone what he thought about in his free time and he had a hell of a lot of free time now that Allen wasn't constantly badgering him for more food.

"Coming right up!" Jerry told Lavi cheerily and he quickly began to cook twice the amount of food that Lavi had asked for. Who knew, if it was there, maybe the Bookman Jr. would eat it?

XXX

"Ugh," Neah grunted as his temples throbbed. He had fallen out of the habit of using Dark Matter and so it had drained a lot out of him. How long had he been asleep for? A day? More?

Neah pressed a hand to his head and he sat up slowly. Once he was upright, Neah slowly cracked open his eyes and he grit his teeth. The white light was like needles to his eyes. At least Neah could wake up slowly.

Suddenly something smacked into Neah's chin and his head was jerked upward.

"Why you-!" Neah snarled and he glared at Timcampy. The Noah was now wide awake and he was pissed. How dare that little bastard wake him up in such a manner? The little golem flew a few quick circles before it dive bombed Neah once more but this time the Noah was ready. Neah stood up and he caught Timcampy with both hands as the golem crashed into his chest. Timcampy wriggled around franticly but Neah had looped one hand around his tail and the other help it's wings. "What the hell is your problem?" Neah snapped at it.

Timcampy wriggled some more and eventually managed to point with one of it's stubby legs. Neah looked in the direction it had indicated and he saw the fake-Allen he had created before he had fallen asleep.

"Oh, shit." Neah said and he let go of Timcampy. Neah must have been asleep for a long time because the coma-boy's body had become emaciated and it looked pitiful. All his bones jutted out in sharp relief and there was only the faintest rise and fall of his chest that proved he was not a corpse. Tim hovered over the fake's head and waved it's tail to indicate exactly how distressed it was over the situation and Neah really couldn't blame him.

Neah walked over to the fake Allen and he put a hand on the boy's forehead. _Well, _he thought._ Here goes nothing._

Neah shut his eyes and started to quicken the fake Allen's heart rate and breathing rate until they matched his own perfectly. He held the two of them in that state and for a few brief moments it seemed as though there was nothing in the world aside from the two people, perfectly in sync. Then Neah's eyes fluttered open and he starred at the thin face that resembled his host's almost perfectly and he felt a little doubt tug at his heart.

What if it didn't work? What if the body rejected the soul? What if Allen died?

Neah scrunched his eyes shut and started concentrating on the task at hand. He didn't care what happened to his host, he was only worried because if Allen died then he would lose the Crown Clown. That was all Neah would admit to caring about. Cross might have accidently become attached to Allen but Neah was not so soft. His host was just a device he needed to use to meet his own ends. Nothing more and nothing less.

Neah felt the emptiness of the coma boy's head. A fully operational brain without any thoughts, a body without a soul to make it run; to Neah it seemed incredibly lonely and sad. The Noah's breath became heavier and slower as he reached deep within himself until he could feel the sleeping Allen. Allen wanted his body back; he wanted nothing more than to be himself without Neah's presence. Well Neah would finally grant that wish and he would reawaken that thoughtless brain.

_Sorry,_ Neah muttered to Allen before he injected himself into Allen and began to rip apart his memories.

A thousand pictures pounded against Neah's skull and threatened to overwhelm him. Allen's raw emotions slammed into his own and it was all Neah could do to keep himself from fusing with the boy. Slowly but surely, Neah corralled the essence of Allen into a corner of his mind so that he could safely examine everything he might need.

Neah pulled out all of Allen's memories up until a year and a half before Cross had sent him to the Black Order. The memories slithered through Neah's mind like a serpent and Neah caught glimpses here and there. Neah pushed Allen's memories out of his body and into the mind of the fake Allen's.

Neah repeated the process with Allen's memories of how to work the Crown Clown, his affection for Mana and Cross, the denial for his affection of Cross, his desire to have his own body, his polite way of speaking, his nervous habits, his likes and dislikes. Slowly, Neah poured everything that made Allen who he was into the new body.

Now it was time to warp Allen, make him hate both the Black Order and the Earl so that Neah could make him loyal to his cause. Neah grit his teeth until a small trail of blood ran from the corner to his chin. He had to pick fragments out that would not lead Allen to believe that he was any older than twelve-ish but also make him think that he had gone to the Order.

The pain of losing his Innocents. The sight of Cross, dead and bloodied. Being shadowed by Link.

Tiny fragments of everything Allen hated about the order were implanted into the body but that was unrealistic. Neah needed to mix in some good too but he needed to make it confusing.

Lenalee telling Allen that she would protect him…then standing by uselessly as he was sentenced to death.

Johnny yelling at people for speaking ill of Allen.

Clips of Kanda drawing out Mugen at him and the pain he felt when he had been run through by Mugen.

Timcampy stealing his food.

Lavi laughing with him and Bookman shooting them both disapproving glares.

The members of the clan of Noah.

Neah kept all the memories about himself out and he blurred all of Allen's experiences with the Black Order together before he implanted them. The details were iffy at best but Neah knew it was enough. He could tell Allen things when he woke up that would fill in the blanks.

Almost as an afterthought he gave Allen the ability to play the piano and control the Ark. It was a weak power, it was the same level of control that Allen had had already and Neah would be able to override it easily but it would be convenient for Neah in the future.

It was over; Allen was gone from Neah's mind. Neah sealed the tiny fragments of Allen's memories of the past two years away deep within his own subconscious so that he could destroy them later if he needed to. You never knew when that kind of information would come in handy and besides, there were not enough memories there to endanger Neah in the slightest.

Neah lifted his hand from Allen's head and he felt an explosion of pain in his head. The cursed eye! The curse mark had appeared on Allen's face and it was being torn from Neah's. The Noah felt blood run down his cheek and the left half of the world went black. He pressed a hand to his left eye and he stumbled back, gasping in pain.

When Mana had cursed Allen, he had also slashed at Allen's face. Now that the curse was gone from Neah's face, the cut had returned.

Neah stumbled over to the mirror and looked at the injury in his reflection. Unfortunately, Neah could tell from a glance that the eye was permanently damaged. His left eye was now useless. Neah walked to a cupboard and he started riffling through it until he found some old ointment and bandages. How old were they? At least forty years old by now…

Well, it was better than nothing. Neah smeared the ointment across his face until his skin felt cool and slimy before he wrapped it up tightly with the bandage.

"Tim…cam…py…" A weak voice behind Neah muttered. Neah almost jumped out of his skin and he whipped around to see that Allen had woken up and Timcampy had landed on his chest. "What…? I had a… horri…ble nightmare… Master was…" tears welled up in the corners of Allen's eyes but he didn't seem to notice.

"Where the Crown Clown? Where am I?" Allen said and as he spoke he became more and more distressed. Neah was frozen in place several feet away with the medical supplies still in hand. He wasn't sure how to deal with a crying Allen but evidently Timcampy did because he was gently nudging Allen's cheek in a comforting way. Neah noticed that the golem had once again grown large, presumably because it was so close to it's master. "What the hell happened?" Allen muttered and he put a hand over his eyes.

Neah was finally jerked into action. He walked quietly to the couch and he put one hand on Allen's shoulder. The boy's head shot up and his hand grabbed Neah's wrist but there was no aggression in either action. Neah looked into Allen's tear-stained, confused face and smiled.

"Hello Allen, I'm glad that you're awake."

XXX

The Crown Clown felt Allen return and it wanted to burst from it's bonds and return to his side. However, there was that pesky creature waiting for it and no matter what the Crown Clown did the creature just did not seem to understand how important it was that the Clown returned to Allen.

The Crown Clown needed to be with Allen! Allen was in the hands of the Fourteenth! If there was one thing the Crown Clown hated it was that everyone in the Black Order seemed to be unable to tell that there was a difference between the two. But the Crown Clown knew.

It loved Allen. More than Mana had loved Allen. More than Cross had loved Allen. More than Johnny, Lenalee, Timcampy, Lavi, Fou, Bak Jerry, Lou Fa, or Yuu; Crown Clown loved Allen. Allen was a part of it as much as it was a part of Allen.

Even though Allen was back, the Crown Clown did not burst out of the order. Instead it just continued to slowly worm it's way out of it's prison and with each particle that escaped it was one tiny step closer to being with Allen.

As it left the Order, the Crown Clown saw people crying when they thought no one else was around. It saw people whispering about the Fourteenth. It saw every single person in the order either celebrating or mourning Allen's disappearance.

They were all fools. They had let Allen deteriorate! Could they not see that the Crown Clown had held off the Noah? Did they not understand that Allen had not wanted to become a Noah? Of course not. They were all so pitiful, so inferior it the Crown Clown's master.

Allen was the Crown Clown's first master and he would be it's last. After Allen, no other could human cut it.

* * *

**So how was that for size? It was large my my standards... :D **


	4. Hunger

"Who are you?" Allen demanded, all traces of sorrow and confusion were gone from his face, locked away so that Allen could determine if this new person was a threat or not. Even Neah couldn't deny that Allen could hide his emotions well. Bloody hell, the brat was better at it than the Bookman Jr.! Although, such a serious tone coming from such a small, sickly looking child was amusing to say the least.

"My name's Neah and I am your ally."Neah said reassuringly. He gave Allen's shoulder a small squeeze before he quickly withdrew his hand to avoid Tim's teeth. Little golem bastard…Timcampy knew that it was temporarily immune to abuse via Neah as Allen would not be endeared to a man that hurt his golem.

"We can discuss more about me later; first we need to get you some food. You're hungry, right?" Allen nodded a little dumbly and Neah gave him a winning smile. As much as he wanted to turn Allen against his friends now, it would not be prudent. Allen's mind was still fragile from the transfer; too much prodding on Neah's part could shatter it.

If there was one thing Neah didn't need it was an insane Allen.

Allen started to fidget nervously and a bemused expression played across his face as he realized that he didn't feel the weight of clothes on his body. "Why am I naked?" Allen shouted as he tried to sit up but he fell back down almost immediately. He had tried to support himself using the missing Crown Clown and he had not realized that his new body was much weaker than his old one.

"Be careful, you've been asleep for-" Neah started but he was cut off by a panicking Allen.

"Where's my arm?" Allen demanded as he remembered his missing arm. Neah noticed that the brat was pointedly avoiding looking at the horribly burnt stub attached to his torso as if he didn't want to confirm that it was gone. Neah barley stopped himself from smirking and he put a hand over his mouth so Allen couldn't see the corners of his lips twitching.

"The Crown Clown is gone for now but you will get it back soon." Neah reassured Allen but the boy still looked doubtful. Neah picked up the clothes he had 'borrowed' from the hospital and he dropped them on Allen's lap. "And, to answer your first question, you're naked because I had to make sure you weren't injured at all." Neah said as Allen struggled to dress himself. He could barely sit up on his own, much less put on pants and Neah offered him no aid so it took a while for him to be ready.

"Now, come on." Neah held out his hand to Allen and, after a few seconds, Allen took it. Allen was too weak to support himself so Neah ended up practically carrying him with a worried Tim hovering over his shoulder. In this manner the trio left Neah's room and then, by way of a particularly ugly door, they left the Ark.

XXX

"…Lavi? Come on Lavi….please?" Lenalee begged on the other side of Lavi and Bookman's bedroom door. "You can't just lock yourself up in there! …Lavi?"

Lavi had not left his room for the past nine hours however, contrary to popular belief; it was not because he was depressed. Lenalee could plead until she went horse but Lavi would never open the door because he could not hear her. He was too wrapped up in his work.

Ever since putting the flowers on Allen's coffin, Lavi had devoted all his time to learning everything he could about the Fourteenth; taking breaks only to meet his most essential needs.

When did he come into existence? Had he taken over the human named Neah or had he been Neah all along? What was his relationship with Cross? When had Allen been implanted with Fourteenth's memories? Had they been implanted by Mana or Neah? How did the Crown Clown come into play? Where would the Fourteenth be most likely to reenter the real world from the Ark?

Those were just a few of the questions Lavi was seeking the answers to. Unfortunately, he still had yet to find anything of relevance. At the moment he was researching strange occurrences in Moscow that had started at around the same time but the trail went cold as he remembered the occurrences had been caused by his own Innocents.

"Damnit!" Lavi said in frustration. He stood up so quickly that his chair fell and he slammed his hands against his desk. "How did this guy manage to stay out of history? It's like he never existed!" He shouted to the scrolls and books scattered around his room.

Lenalee heard Lavi scream but she couldn't make out the words. "Lavi! Come on, let's talk about this!" She said and she pounded on the door. "Please!" Tears ran freely down her cheeks and her voice trembled. It felt like her world was crumbling. First Kanda had left, then Allen had been taken over by a monster, and now it seemed as if Lavi was going to leave her.

"Lavi…" Lenalee begged a second before the door was pulled open and she fell inside.

"Lenalee? What's wrong?" Lavi asked as he stared at the girl on his floor. He was too surprised to help her up and for that she was grateful. Lenalee quickly wiped away her tears before she looked up and glared at a very surprised Lavi.

"Why didn't you open the door? I've been knocking for hours!" She growled at him.

"I-is that so?" Lavi scratched his cheek sheepishly and he looked over his shoulder. "I didn't hear you, sorry." He offered Lenalee his hand but she refused and got to her feet unaided. The room Lavi and Bookman shared had, quite literally, every surface completely covered in books and papers.

_No wonder Bookman's been sleeping in the library _Lenalee thought as she looked around. _There's more books in here than all of the Order! _

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Lavi asked her with a note of genuine curiosity. Lenalee suddenly wanted to tell him everything. All her fears and suspicions, all her desires and hopes but something held her back. She suddenly knew how Allen felt all the time, wanting to smile and pretend that nothing was wrong so that the people she cared about would be safe.

Lenalee was not like Allen. Even as she tried to hide her feelings she knew that she could not. Somehow, Allen had been able to take the whole world on his shoulders and act as if it was the easiest thing in the world but to a normal person such a feat was impossible. Lenalee ran forward and hugged Lavi and started to cry into his shirt.

"Lenalee?" Lavi said in surprise. He made no move to stop her and as her shoulders started to shake he hugged her back. "It's okay. Everything'll turn out fine." He whispered into her ear but his reassurance just made her cry harder.

Everything would not turn out fine, didn't Lavi understand that? It would never be fine again. Lenalee's friends, the people she cared more about than the whole world, were leaving her one by one. How long would it be until she was totally alone? How long would it be until everyone she considered to be family disappeared? Lenalee didn't bother trying to explain her feelings to Lavi. He wouldn't get it.

The two of them just stood in the middle of the room, embracing each other with the door wide open.

_I hope Bookman doesn't drop in…_ Lavi thought idly, _Or Komui for that matter. _

XXX

"Where are we?"

"Maynooth." Neah said but Allen just cocked his head to one side in confusion. "We're in Ireland."

"Oh." Allen said before he fell silent once more. Neah assumed that Allen remembered how the Ark worked and that was why he wasn't being hounded by questions but it could be that Allen hadn't realized that they had just traveled through dimensions. Well whatever the reason, Neah enjoyed the silence.

Neah deleted the door he had created in the alley behind an old pub before he grabbed Allen's arm and steered him around to the front.

"Why Ireland?" Allen asked cautiously and he shot a wary glance up at Neah as if he thought that the Noah might smack him for asking. Damn, he would have to work on that. Neah raised his hand and Allen flinched but Neah just scratched the back of his head.

"You haven't eaten in a while so we need to get you bland food and I hate English food. So Ireland it is. Besides, I like the countryside." Neah said in a gentle voice. Allen didn't react to his tone and Neah suppressed the urge to punch a wall. After having lived in Allen's mind for such a long time he knew that Allen was not quick to trust people. Hell, the kid's mind was so completely devoid of anything vaguely resembling optimism that half the time Neah wondered why he wasn't suicidal.

It had been unrealistic for Neah to expect Allen to want to be friendly with him, especially when he had shattered memories to sort through.

"Come on," Neah said and he dragged Allen into an old restaurant and sat him down in the first open seat he found. "Stay." He told Timcampy but Allen nodded. The boy looked a little uncomfortable in the smoky room without his Innocents but he took refuge in the fact that he would still be able to see Akuma before they attacked. Neah would keep him safe too, right?

Timcampy settled on Allen's head, and Allen remembered the image that had been haunting his thoughts since he had woken up. A picture of Cross, slumped over and bloodied in his room at the Black Order. "Tim…" Allen muttered under his breath. "I-is he really gone?" Allen bit his lower lip and rubbed his eyes to keep himself from crying. There was no way! Cross was the kind of person that didn't die even if you killed him.

Anyway, it wasn't as if Allen cared that his Master had died! Nope! Not in the slightest!

Allen groaned and plucked Timcampy off the top of his head. "Don't you record everything you see?" Allen asked the little golem. "Can you show me what happened?" It was an easy way out, seeing what had happened through Tim's eyes rather than trying to piece together his shattered memory, and Allen knew that.

That was another thing; why was Allen's memory so muddled? Had he been hit on the head? Had he been traumatized? If Allen knew anything about himself it was that he would never suppress his memories so he must have hit his head…but if that was the case would Allen's memories come back?

Timcampy didn't make any move to show Allen anything. The first then Neah had done after leaving the Order was to edit all of Tim's recordings. At the time Timcampy had been confused by the action but now it understood that it was all a ploy to keep Allen in the dark about what had really happened during his stay at the order. Unfortunately, because Tim had no way of telling Allen this, the boy just assumed that the golem was holding out on him.

"Come on, Tim!" Allen whined as he pulled on one of Timcampy's cheeks. "I'm really confused here, just show me a little?"

"Hey, Allen," Timcampy said in Cross's voice.

"Whoa!" Allen yelped and he dropped Timcampy as if he had been scalded.

"Come to think of it, I've never asked you before, but… Do you like Tim?" Cross went on. Allen stared at the golem on the table in shock. He wasn't sure if he should respond or not but apparently it didn't matter because Cross continued. "I asked you to keep hold of him for me, but…"

_Really? When? _Allen thought and he frowned. Was that just something he had forgotten too?

"…To be honest I was always planning on giving him to you."

_Tim's a guy? I didn't know that golems could have genders… I mean… Isn't he just a lump of clay? _

"I've told Tim he can do what he likes from now on. You may not want to listen to me knowing that I'm carrying on the-" Here, Cross was cut off by static and Allen finally recovered from his shock.

"Wait, carrying what?" He demanded but Cross's voice had started up again.

"But in case you're still thinking you're being made to walk a path that me and-" Cross was cut off by more static and Allen started to figure that it had been deliberately censored to hide something, but what?

"…chose for you…I just wanted to tell you that you're wrong. A path is something you create as you walk it. The ground you've trodden on hardens and that's what forms your path. You're the only one that can create your own path. So stop wearing that mask of 'Mana'. Walk on your own. If you haven't given up yet, that is."

Allen blinked as the massage crackled and stopped. "Was that a last request?" He mused out loud. "Doesn't really sound like something Master would say. Mask of Mana…? Aurrgh! I don't get it! And what does he mean by 'I'm not walking the path he chose for me'? Why would I think that I was?' Allen cried out in frustration. A few of the sober people in the restaurant shot him peculiar glances but no one really cared enough about him to ask what the problem was. Thus it had been for all of Allen's life. Well most of it anyway…well, most of what he could remember.

He put his hand against his right temple and pressed as if he thought that the action would help clear his head. Unfortunately, it did not so Allen set his chin on the table and stared off into space. Timcampy inched forward and, when Allen did not acknowledge him, he began to nuzzle against Allen in a comforting fashion.

"So…I guess I own you now. But he also said that you could do what you wanted…" Allen mumbled and he cast Tim a wary glance. The golem had followed him around for a while so Allen supposed that meant that he was it's new owner but he wasn't positive. After all, Allen didn't remember exactly what had happened so he could be wrong.

This was just too confusing. Allen needed someone to tell him what had happened, trying to sift through his memories was as hard as running through quicksand. It might be possible but it was too hard for Allen. He needed someone to tell him what had happened, someone like….Where the hell had Neah gone?

Allen scanned the area and soon spotted Neah making his way towards him with a plate of some kind of hot mash on it. "Here." Neah said as when he got close. He set the dish before Allen and handed him a spoon. "Eat."

"What is this?" Allen asked as he warily prodded the steaming concoction. Much to his horror, it rippled like gelatin.

"Soup," Neah said and Allen gave him a skeptical look. "Or it could be overcooked fish. Look, I didn't ask what it was but food's food. Eat." Neah pulled up a weak looking chair and he sat down heavily. Allen noticed for the first time that he had thick shadows under his eyes and his hair looked dull and a little tangled. Was Neah sick or tired? Allen looked back to his plate and didn't comment on Neah's appearance in case he got offended.

Allen still didn't trust the mash but he stuck the spoon in it anyway and nibbled at it. It tasted worse than it looked but as Neah had said, food was food. Allen curled his lip and started to shovel as much food as he could, as fast as he could down his throat. He was done in a matter of minutes and, much to his surprise, he was no longer hungry.

"You're stomach has shrunk so you can't eat that much food." Neah explained upon seeing Allen's expression. "And the Crown Clown is gone so you're only eating for yourself."

"Where is the Crown Clown?" Allen asked and there was a strangle glint in his eye. The boy looked kind of…Hungry. Hungry in a way that food could never satisfy. Neah wondered if Allen was craving the battlefield once more.

It was almost a disturbing notion but Neah pushed those thought aside. He smiled at Allen and said, "Well then, let's go back home and talk about it."

* * *

**As a note; I like England a lot. But it is true that some pretty weird shit goes down in London and the food is just phenomenally bad. Sorry, but that's my opinion. :P**

**But being half French and half Irish I'm genetically engineered to dislike the food. (That's a direct quote from my Mum.) **

**But there are some damn good Indian restaurants in England... and they cook Chinese food better than anyone else in the world. Not to mention they have some great authors too... And folklore. Damn good music too...I like England from Hetalia as well...(I could go on for a long time with this.)  
**


	5. Life on The Ark

**Time skip ahead! It's been a little over a month since the last chapter so I skipped over Neah talking to Allen but don't fret, I will get to it later. :D

* * *

**Allen sat in Neah's piano room and he flexed the fingers of the Crown Clown experimentally. It had been three weeks since he had gotten it back and he still felt relief wash over him every time he looked at it. He still laughed at the memory of waking up one day, surrounded by mist. Allen had been confused and had started running around before Neah had told him that that was the Crown Clown and instructed him to try to activate it. Then Neah had trudged back into his room to sleep for another couple of hours.

On occasion, Allen's eye would activate and remind Allen that he _should_ be out hunting Akuma rather than loitering around but Neah had banned him from leaving the Ark until he was healthy again.

Neah had even gone so far as to temporarily disable Allen's control over the Ark so that he wouldn't sneak off. Of course, that was exactly what Allen had been planning on doing so he was a little resentful. There were times that Neah seemed to be able to predict what Allen was going to do better than Allen himself could and it made him kind of uneasy.

Make no mistake, Allen was grateful that Neah had saved his life and that he was keeping him alive but he was starting to get kind of tired of being forced to stay inside.

_At least it's better than having a shadow like I did at the order._ Allen begrudgingly admitted. He looked around the unnaturally white room and spotted a couple small black weights that Neah had got him to train with. Allen slid off the couch and he picked a couple up before he started going through the exorcizes that Neah had told him to do. Timcampy buzzed impatiently around his head and Allen stuck out his tongue.

"Yeah, I'm bored too, but Neah said he'd let us leave soon so just wait a bit." Allen said and Timcampy eventually settled down on top of his head. Allen continued to lift weights in silence until Neah walked into his room with a large basket full of assorted foods and an armful of new clothes.

"Neah!" Allen shouted and he dropped the weights to the floor. Neah winced as the equipment made a loud bang and he smiled weakly as Allen came bounding towards him. Allen's mood always seemed to be great when Neah had food.

"Hey Allen. I got some roast beef, apples, peach tarts, and meal bread but first…" Neah lifted the basket up as high as he could to keep it out of Allen's reach and he thrust the new clothes into his arms. "Get dressed."

Allen pouted but he knew that Neah was stubborn when it came to wearing nice things to meals. "Okay," He grumbled and he left the piano room. Neah had set up a rather spacious bedroom for Allen just down the street and Allen had moved right in and made it messy. It was like a tiny island of normality in the sea of perfection. Allen opened the simple white door and he slipped inside, with Timcampy close behind and he looked around the sprawl, and smiled.

Neah had really given him a nice place. The bed alone was almost as large as his entire room had been at the order and with all the books and toys Neah had given him the walls of shelves were overflowing as well. Allen wasn't sure if Neah had done it out of kindness or not but he was grateful regardless.

Allen changed quickly into the white dress shirt, red tie, and black pants Neah had given him and he tossed his old clothes in a heap on the ground. Allen would get around to cleaning them eventually…Just as soon as he felt inspired enough. "Ready Tim?" Allen asked in an overly formal voice and Timcampy land on his shoulder.

The pair left Allen's room and Allen started sprinting up the hill. He passed the piano room, Neah hated crumbs in his room; Allen had to learn that the hard way. Instead, Allen ran into the dining room where all of the food had been set out at one end of a massive table. Neah never ate with Allen; Neah always just set up the room and then left before Allen had the chance to come in. No matter how quick Allen was, Neah was gone he could come in.

Allen looked around before he trotted over to his seat and started to devour his meal before he had even sat down. It had taken a long time before he had regained the ability to consume vast quantities of food although Allen knew that he needed to be eating more. He had barely gained any weight and the Crown Clown was tapping his energy quickly.

"Oi! That's mine!" Allen protested as Timcampy started munching on some of the better looking apples. He waved the golem off and managed to be done within seven more minutes. Timcampy started to munch on the cores and Allen sat back in his chair.

He had been trying to occupy himself constantly but it was becoming harder. Allen wanted to return to the battlefield. Things were simple there; he didn't have to worry about who were his friends and who had betrayed him. On the battlefield Allen's sole purpose was to destroy Akuma. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Done?" Allen asked when all the plates were spotless. Without waiting for a reply he stood up and left with Timcampy following closely behind. Allen used to try to clean up all the dirty plates but after a while he realized that they would become clean on their own. Neah had told Allen that the Ark used a sort of magic to do the housework on it's own. Allen highly doubted this story but he had yet to see any other evidence that anything else happened so he had to accept it as truth.

Allen walked back down the hill and he made sure to brush crumbs off his shirt before he went inside Neah's piano room.

As usual, Neah was playing his piano with his back to Allen. His head was moving to the tune and Allen knew that his eyes were shut too. As quietly as he could, Allen shut the door behind him and he sat down on one of the couches so he could watch Neah play. It was fascinating to Allen, how much he could get wrapped up in his music. Allen secretly loved listening to Neah play and he had been tempted on several occasions to ask Neah to teach him more songs than the one he knew.

The last note slowly faded out and Neah paused with his fingers hovering above the keys. "Hi," Allen said before Neah had the chance to start another song.

"Ah!" Neah said and he jumped slightly. Allen had to muffle a snicker as Neah spun around to look at him. "Allen, I didn't hear you come in." Neah said politely although Allen knew he was a little irritated about having been interrupted.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"Yes, actually. Tim and I were wondering if it would be okay if we left the Ark tomorrow."

"Allen, we've been over this. You can't leave until you're strong enough to fight." Neah sounded a little exasperated and Allen knew he needed to tread carefully.

"But I won't fight, I could make a door in a place people wouldn't notice me and I could stay near the door! And if my eye activates then I'll come right back and destroy the door." Neah still looked doubtful so Allen resorted to begging. "Please? I haven't been outside in so long! Please, Neah? Please?"

"If you get into a fight I'll lock you inside for a year." Neah said and Allen beamed. Neah turned around and was about to start playing when Allen hugged him from behind.

"Thanks, Neah!" Allen said before he ran out of the room with Timcampy hot on his heels. Neah blinked a couple of times before he looked over his shoulder at the closed door.

Had Allen seriously just hugged him? Neah was reminded of the way Road always hugged the Earl but he pushed that thought away. Allen was not that creepy and he was not that evil.

"Why did I agree to that?" Neah wondered out loud. There was no way Allen would run if an Akuma appeared. Regardless, Neah played a small tune that nullified the cancel effect he had placed on Allen's powers. He would have to trust Allen not to do anything incredibly stupid and he would have to hope that Allen had the good sense to avoid members of the Order.

Based on what Neah had told Allen, the kid wouldn't want to get anywhere near a person with an exorcist badge but what if he saw Lavi or Lenalee? Would he try to confront them or would he return to the Ark? Neah didn't know and he would have to find out tomorrow night when he got back to the Ark.

XXX

Lavi had finally given up. After weeks of looking, he had finally realized that they had nothing on Neah. Even Bookman had tried to help but they had still found nothing. So now they had to do things the old fashion way.

So that was why Lavi, Bookman, Kory, and Lenalee had all been sent out to look for the Fourteenth. Miranda and Noise had been asked to watch the order until the danger had passed and all generals, except Cloud who was still training Timothy, were on missions to find Innocents.

The Ark was no longer anchored down so it could be, quite literally, anywhere in the world. So instead of looking for the Fourteenth they concentrated on learning more about Allen's past. Unfortunately they had about as much information on Allen as they did the Fourteenth. Not only that but they didn't know all the places Allen had gone with Cross or what kind of connections he had made while traveling. What they did know was that Allen had been adopted by a man named Mana Walker after meeting him at a circus at an unknown date, Mana had died in an unknown manner, Allen had turned Mana into an Akuma and then destroyed him, and then Allen had been in Cross's delicate care until his arrival at the order.

So the first thing they had to do would be to find Mana's grave and work their way from there but all they knew about the location of the grave was that it was somewhere in England, probably.

Lavi sighed heavily and his breath frosted in the air. They were in yet another dinky town, in front of a cheap looking bakery somewhere in the town square. It was cold, it was snowing, and the four of them were all around miserable but they were finally doing something. In Lavi's opinion, it was much better to be freezing his ass off in some no-where town rather than sitting around the Order and wondering if Allen was going to pop in anytime soon.

"You guys ready?" He asked to the three other exorcists. They all gave non verbal signs of agreement and Lavi grinned. "Well then, let's find that cemetery!" Lavi took off down the street in the directing the bakery owner had told him with a bounce in his step.

"I'm so glad that Lavi's finally cheered up," Kory said happily before he followed the red head. Bookman cast a strange glance at Lenalee before he too followed his apprentice down the street.

Lenalee stayed behind until the three of them were almost out of sight before she started after at the speed of a funeral march. She took some pleasure in listening to the thin layer of snow crunch under her feet but she still felt deadened. Lavi was getting frustrated with her constant depression and Lenalee could tell that he wanted to yell at her like he had done when Allen was in China but she knew that he wouldn't because he didn't want to see her cry.

There was a rift between them now. Lenalee could feel it even if Lavi didn't and she knew that Allen was the cause. She thought he was dead and Lavi didn't.

"Hey! You okay back there?" Lavi shouted and Lenalee looked up to see the three of them waiting for her at the street corner. Bookman was giving her his normal perma-frown, Kory looked worried about her wellbeing, and Lavi giving her a smile that would have earned him a punch from Bookman on any other occasion. Once again, Lenalee wished she could hide her emotions away and laugh away her sorrow but she would start crying if she tried.

"Yes, I'm fine." She said when she got close and she smiled weakly. Kory immediately started fretting over her like a mother hen. Lavi turned away quickly but not before Lenalee could see a flicker of mild distain in his eyes and she resented him for that.

How could Lavi believe that Allen was still alive? Allen would have come back if he was! As far as Lenalee was concerned, Allen was dead and the sooner Lavi accepted that the sooner they could get along.

"I'm fine, thanks," She told Kory. "Let's just try to find Mana's grave."

"Bu…Okay." Kory reluctantly agreed. This time Lenalee stalked off to walk right behind Lavi, leaving a very confused Kory in her wake.

XXX

Neah rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he strolled down the Ark's main road, he had been so into playing the piano that he had ended up getting only a few hours of sleep. Normally, Neah would have just left the Ark from his piano room but as of late he had started checking on Allen before he went out.

He didn't know when he had started it, or why but at this point Neah needed to make sure that Allen was okay before he left. It was irrational, Neah knew. What could possibly happen to Allen in a lock Ark? Well, it was locked to everyone aside from Neah and Allen but that was beside the point.

The Ark was dead silent and completely peaceful, but Neah couldn't help but to feel uneasy as he placed a hand on a simple doorknob. The door opened silently and a shaft of light cut through the darkness and landed on Allen's face.

Allen was curled up in the middle of his bed with Timcampy curled up on his pillow. There was a small, red book near Allen's hand and Neah supposed that Allen had fallen asleep reading. Well, as expected, Allen was just fine. Neah closed the door quietly before either could wake up and he exited the Ark with new found confidence. Allen was fine and hopefully he would have the good sense not to get himself ripped in two over the course of the day.

_Well he is kind of hot-headed. _Neah thought with a smirk. _Maybe he really will get himself killed. _


	6. Where the door leads

**Dinky little chapter, isn't it? I'm so happy about all the review I've gotten! They really inspire me to write more. :) **

**Of course my muse is still being freaking insane so I can't really do much else. -_- I need to write for my other stories but I'm just way too in to this right now...

* * *

**Allen was sitting on one of the many streets of the Ark with his back against an empty doorway. The second Allen figured out where he wanted to go he would just have to stand up and leave with the place in mind but thus far he had been unable to decide.

The first thing Allen had wanted to do was go and visit Mana's grave but logic had got the better of him. He had been very close to Mana so of course that would be the first place the Black Order would go and look for him. Besides, that was the place he had killed Mana the second time and he didn't want to think about that. So, visiting Mana's grave was out for the time being but then what should Allen do?

After craving the outside world for so long, Allen was suddenly at a loss for what to do next. He could go somewhere he had already been but could he go to the places that he'd forgotten he'd been? Somehow, Allen doubted that he would be able to. Then should he try exploring so that he could open doors in more places? Maybe he could even try looking for Cross… Although, Allen really didn't care if his Master was alive. Of course, Cross _was_ still alive so there was no reason for Allen to even consider thinking about him being dead.

"Any ideas Tim?" Allen asked the golem but if Tim had an opinion he didn't voice it. Instead, the golem landed on top of Allen's head and was immediately shooed off. For some reason, Timcampy had grown huge and it hurt Allen's neck if he tried to sit on his head. "Hey…why don't you show me where I went on a couple missions? I could look around there."

Allen struggled to his feet and Timcampy hovered right in front of him. Timcampy opened his mouth and several images danced before Allen. A city built like a labyrinth…A doll that could sing…A finder with the lower half of his face covered in bandages… A town called Martel… Allen felt a painful twinge in his head and he grabbed his forehead. It felt as if his skull was clamping down on his head, making it impossible to think or breath.

The pain ended as soon as it had started but Allen had a strange empty feeling; as if he had just been denied something that was his by right. Allen pushed off the feeling and tried to pass off the sudden movement as scratching his head. "Let's get going then. Martel looks like a nice place."

Allen turned around so that he faced the door and he concentrated on the song Neah had taught him. Then, with the music still buzzing in his ears, Allen thought about the images Tim had shown him. The edges of the door gave off a warm light and then the connection to earth was made.

Allen reopened his eyes and grinned. He had actually done it!

XXX

Lavi stopped short just as he rounded the last corner to the cemetery and he motioned for everyone to stop walking. There was someone standing in front of one of the graves with their back to the exorcists. The person clearly had two arms but Lavi didn't think it was wise to risk getting too close in case the person was Allen.

The figure was wearing a large, black overcoat with a hat pulled down far enough so that none of his hair was visible. He was around the right height and from what little Lavi could see the clothes seemed to be the right style too. All of these things could have very easily been coincidence but there was one tiny thing that only Lavi and Bookman had picked up on.

There was a flower on the grave. It was small and deep purple but that alone was not reason enough to cause suspicion. The fact of the matter was that it was a Verbena, a plant that grew primarily in the tropic and sub-tropic America regions, and it looked like it had been freshly picked. That would have been almost impossible to get in England at this time of year unless you were of noble decent and based on the person's clothes he was not. So how could that person have found such a rare flower out of season? Such a feat would have been easy with the Ark…and that meant the person ahead of them was a member of the Noah clan.

The group watched the figure carefully but he didn't seem to be interested in anything aside from the grave. Lavi would have been fine with standing for several hours in the cold but Lenalee and Kory were starting to get antsy.

"What's going on?" Lenalee whispered but Lavi didn't say anything, he was too preoccupied.

"We need to know if that person is an enemy or not before we approach." Bookman finally explained and Lenalee nodded once. A couple of snowflakes drifted down from the cloudy sky. Then a few more, and more, and more, until the group was in the middle of a snow storm. The person in the cemetery didn't seem to mind but his coat had started whipping around him and his figure made Lavi a little more certain that they were looking at Allen.

"Let's go before we all freeze to death." Kory grumbled and Lenalee murmured in agreement. Lavi glanced at Bookman and he was disappointed to see the old man looking at him expectantly. Apparently, Lavi had just been unofficially picked as leader.

"Okay, but we need to be careful." Lavi muttered and he ushered all of them into a cluster. "Lenalee, Kory, Grandpa-Panda, you three surround the area and wait. I'll approach from the entrance and see how he reacts. If we start fighting then all of you will need to step in and help me, okay?"

He waited for all of them to agree before he cracked a wide grin. "Okay team, move out!"

XXX

Neah stared down at Mana's grave miserably. He had always wanted to talk to his brother again, to apologize to him for dragging him into the fight with the Earl. However, Neah had never found the right words in life and now that he knew just what to say, Mana was dead. Even though Neah had already known about it and had several years to mentally prepare himself for seeing his brother's name carved in stone. Neah had put off this visitation for a whole month before had had finally decided to see the grave.

As a sign of love and respect, Neah had picked up one of Mana's favorite flowers before coming. It had been easy, all he had done was taken the Ark and he had retrieved it in a matter of minutes. He had placed it on top of the tombstone and then he had just stood there with his hands in his pockets.

Neah didn't know how long he was there for and to be quite honest he didn't care. He was vaguely aware of a winter storm picking up around him and he felt that the weather matched his mood; cold and bleak. A stinging pain in his nose and fingers finally brought Neah back into reality and he realized that he was freezing.

"A-a-ah." He said between chattering teeth. "S-see what y-you d-d-did, Mana?" When they were children, Mana and Neah had made a game of blaming each other irrationally as a joke but now it was anything but funny. Joking around had just made Neah feel worse.

Neah stuck his hands under his armpits to try to warm them up and he sniffled. He should leave before he caught a cold but Neah still didn't feel ready to leave. Neah debated with himself for a few minutes as he watched snow moving sideways in front of him.

"Hey there! Whatcha' think about this weather?" A voice from the entrance to the cemetery said and Neah felt his skin crawl. He knew that voice and he knew he was in a very dangerous situation.

Neah took a deep breath before he said, "It's rather cold but I kind of like it." His voice was several octaves deeper than Allen's had been and he had imitated a French accent perfectly but he doubted that would be enough.

Sure enough, Neah could hear the faint crunch of snow above the howling wind and Lavi walked up behind him. _Shit! How could I let him sneak up on me? Idiot! _Neah thought to himself and he grit his teeth. Lavi would notice if he started altering his appearance with dark matter and he was standing in front of a grave marked 'Mana Walker'. Not only that, but if Lavi was here that meant that other exorcists were here as well.

Neah had two options left;

He could try to bullshit his way out and then escape via the Ark.

He could fight like hell and the escape via the Ark.

After less than a second of deliberation, Neah decided to go with option 'A'.

"Where are you from?" Lavi asked and Neah heard his stop short a few yards away.

"Nord Pas du Calais." Neah said in fake-accent. "I'm just here to visit an old friend."

"Sorry," Lavi said without really sounding sorry at all.

"It happens." Neah looked up at the sky and his eye flickered around, looking for where the others might be hiding. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything because of the storm. "Anyone you're here to see?"

"Yeah, but the person I'm looking for isn't dead."

"Is that so?"

"Cut the act, I know it's you, Allen." Lavi said in the same pleasant voice but Neah could tell that he had activated his Innocents already and he was ready for a fight. "You're coming with us back to Headquarters."

"Sorry, but I'm not Allen." Neah said with a smirk and he leapt sidewise just in time to avoid being crushed by the hammer. "And I'm-" Neah jumped up and Lenalee flew at him and he punched her in the stomach hard enough so she fell back into Lavi's arms. "Not going anywhere."

Kory and Bookman both tried to attack Neah from opposite sides but Neah ducked under their attacks and he swung one of his legs out and knocked Kory off his feet. Bookman jumped over his attach and he sent a couple of needles flying at Neah's face.

The Noah rolled to one side, sending snow and his hat flying off somewhere into the white storm. He scrambled to his feet and he quickly backed off from the exorcists. The four of them were looking at him in confusion, Neah assumed they were wondering about the change of hair color and replacement arm but it could just have easily have been the bandages over his left eye.

During the lull, Neah took a quick assessment of his situation. The cemetery was located on a small rise so the very center was level with the high iron fence that marked its boundaries. There was only one exit, which was blocked off by his enemies and the Ark door was inside an abandoned warehouse a block away. Neah could probably just create a new door but it was risky to create two so close together, they could be drawn together like magnets and create a permanent rip in the universe.

"Allen?" Lavi asked cautiously and Neah's head snapped back to glare at him. "Allen, you're still in there, right?"

"I'm afraid not." Neah said with a smirk and Lenalee charged him once more. Neah had no problem blocking her attacks, he rage and hatred made her movements predictable. One thing he had not counted on, however, was Bookman's Innocence attacking him from behind.

Neah hissed in pain as the needles sank into his back and held him in place. A second later, the heels of Lenalee's Dark Boots dug into his abs and left tiny prick marks. Neah caught Lenalee by her ankle as she started backing up and he let her momentum pull him away from the Bookman's needles.

"Let go!" She shrieked and she drew her free foot back to kick him in the face. Neah changed into his dark form and he flung her away from him before she could do any more damage. He stood panting for a second before he realized that Kory wasn't around.

Neah's arms were suddenly wrenched behind his back and fangs sank into the base of his neck. Pain shot through his system at the feel of the Innocents and he cried out in agony. He arched his back and tried to worm his way out but the Bookman's needles had dug into his feet and kept him rooted to the ground.

Neah was caught.

* * *

**Oooooh, cliffhanger! **


	7. Old faces

**I am so happy that this has been so well received! I love all of you!

* * *

**"You Bastard!" Lenalee screamed and she kicked Neah in the stomach so hard that he doubled over, even though he was still in his dark form. Kory's hold tightened to keep him on his feet and Neah was a tiny bit grateful. He defiantly did not want to be forced to grovel in the snow.

Lenalee drew back to kick him once more but Lavi caught her from behind and hugged her to his chest. "Let me go! He's-! He…!" Lenalee trailed off and her shoulders started shaking and tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay," Lavi murmured to her and he hugged her tighter. Neah was slightly amused by this open display of affection but the majority of his brain was calculating ways to escape. He was still weak and he has outnumbered but escape was still a possibility. If he could convince them to let him go…or he could pretend that Allen had 'regained control'…

"Fourteenth!" Bookman addressed him. Neah glared at the little man in front of him before he smirked.

"I have a name you know." Neah said in his normal voice which, of course, sounded like a slightly more musical version of Allen's.

"You have been captured by the Black Order." Bookman continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "You will be escorted back to the Headquarters and be put on trial for Heresy. Do you understand?"

"Humph," Neah snorted. There would be no trial, he was a member of the Noah clan and that alone was enough reason to have him killed. His fate would be sealed the second he walked into the Order. "Good to know you were all such good friends…sentencing me to death without a second thought." He said in the same light tone but Allen's 'friends' all flinched as if he had scalded them.

"It's what Allen would have wanted!" Lenalee snarled and she tore herself out of Lavi's grip. Bookman stepped to one side and he watched as the girl stalked up to Neah until they were nose to nose. The cemetery was dead silent except for the howling wind and it suited the mood perfectly.

Lenalee's cheeks were red and her hair had become windswept during the fight. Hatred burned in her eyes but Neah could tell there was something else deep within her. A desperate hope that Allen was still inside him and that she could reach him. Neah wanted to crush that hope completely as punishment for the pain he felt all over his abdomen and for the fangs still in his shoulder.

"And what," He purred as he changed back into his White Form. "Do you know about Allen's wishes, eh? What do any of you know about Allen?" He looked past Lenalee and caught Lavi's eye. The red-head was staring at him in shock and confusion.

"Let us speak to Allen." Lavi finally said. Everyone stared at the red head in silence until it became almost unbearable before Neah finally responded.

"Hmm? Didn't I already tell you that he was gone?" Now all eyes were back on the Noah and Neah enjoyed the attention a bit. Good to know he was so important.

"Cross said that Allen would have to kill someone he loved before you could take over." Lavi said without breaking eye contact. Neah grinned like a manic and he snickered.

"So what? Do you think he has a chance of coming back just because all of you are alive? There was no point in killing any of you. There are only two people in the world that Allen loved and both of them are dead now."

"Shut up, Fourteenth!" Lenalee sobbed and she slapped him across his right cheek but her hand was shaking and it caused him no pain.

"Did you really think Allen gave a damn about any of you? He kept his heart guarded more than anything else." Neah said in a soft voice but his words were heard by all. "Even more so than you, Bookman Jr." Neah wasn't lying. Well, he was telling a partial truth anyway. Allen hadn't let anyone become really close to him aside from Cross and Mana but he had cared for the people at the Black Order.

The only reason Neah would have needed to kill someone Allen loved would be if he wanted to destroy Allen's soul. Since Neah wanted to keep Allen alive and healthy, destroying his soul seemed a tad counterproductive. However, he felt no desire to divulge this information. There were times when a half-truth hurt more than anything else.

"We must get him back to the Black Order as soon as possible." Bookman said. He was the only person that was seemingly unaffected by Neah and had therefore taken up the roll as leader. "Kory, you keep hold of him. I'll remove my Innocents so that he can walk." There was a threat under those words; Neah knew that Bookman would be ready to impale him the second it seemed as though he would attempt to escape.

"Where are we going?" Lavi asked. He had taken up Lenalee again and he had drawn her away from Neah so she couldn't do any more damage or perhaps he wanted to keep her safe from Neah.

"To the train station. There should be a train leaving in an hour and a half that will take us to the Headquarters." Bookman explained and he withdrew his Innocents.

Neah almost sighed with relief as his feet were freed but he was too pissed to show any signs of happiness. After all his disparaging comments about Allen being a moron, how had he managed to get himself captured?

_Sorry Allen,_ He thought. _Looks like you're on your own for now. Try not to do anything this phenomenally stupid. _

XXX

Martel was not that nice of a place. It was old and it looked like there had been a fight not too long ago. There were no people or any form of life at all. However, for a child, there were plenty of things to do. Allen had set off exploring the second he had touched down from the Ark and he had fallen down a massive hole within fifteen minutes. He had landed in some kind of labyrinth and he had spent several hours wandering around.

And now he was lost.

"Hello?" He shouted and his voice echoed eerily in the darkness. "Anyone? Hello?" He dropped his cupped hands and made an aggravated noise. Timcampy probably would have been able to get them out but Allen had lost the golem after he accidently triggered one of the labyrinth's many traps. So now Allen was trying his best to get the golem's attention but thus far he had been able to find anything.

He started to slowly walk down the hallway he was currently in. After about the third trap, Allen had figure out that it was better to go slowly and test every stone before he walked on it rather than blaze through and hope for the best.

"Hey! Is anyone there?" He called out again and this time he thought he could hear a very faint reply. Allen stopped in his tracks and he strained his ears for the tell-tale voice. First he heard faint footsteps then he heard two very muffled voices.

"-something."

"No…probably… Alma…"

"…know what…him."

Allen thought he could hear tiny wisps of the distant conversation and he took off running toward where he thought they were coming from. "Hey!" He shouted. "I'm over here! I'm lost! Can you help m-eep!" Allen yelped as he rounded the corner and almost got himself impaled on a sword. He fell backwards and stared up at the wielder with eyes the size of dinner-plates.

He was a teenager with long black hair tied back and narrowed eyes. His lips were pulled apart in a tiny snarl and his sword, well it was actually a Katana, was level with his chest. His hair was tied up in a ponytail and he was wearing simple working clothes. Allen felt a tiny memory flicker in the back of his head and he felt a strong sense of recognition but he was too terrified to think.

The samurai looked shocked and he lowered his weapon. "Moyashi?" He said and Allen blinked in confusion. Why was this man calling him a bean sprout? "What the hell happened to you?"

"Kanda, who was it?" Another teen looked around the man's-Kanda's- shoulder and his jaw dropped when he saw Allen.

"Um, I'm sorry," Allen said and he scooted a little further away from the dangerous pair and he kept his eyes trained on the sharp blade. "Have we met before?"

XXX

A thousand questions ran through Kanda's head as he stared at the scared boy on the floor. Had the Moyashi lost his memories? If so, then why had he come here? Was he on a mission? Why would the Black Order let him leave if he had amnesia? Had something happened with the Fourteenth? Why did he suddenly look about three years younger? However, all of these questions condensed into one single word when Kanda tried to start talking.

"Eh?" Kanda said dumbly he almost dropped Mugen.

"So I guess we have, then." Allen said dryly. He struggled back up to his feet and Kanda noticed that he had become about a foot and a half shorter along with the decreases in age. Other than that, Allen looked exactly like Kanda had remembered.

Only now Allen was giving him a wary look that Kanda had never seen on his face before. It was as if Allen expected to be attacked at any time and he was prepared to fight back if necessary. Kanda wondered if Allen had always been this suspicious of new people and had simply covered it with a smile or if he had just lost that naïve trust of everyone. Either way, the change disturbed Kanda.

"Moyashi…" He started and he took a step forward. Allen's eyes widened a fraction and he stumbled backwards down the passage he had come running around only a minute earlier. It took Kanda a second to realize that Allen still had his eyes trained on Mugen as if he expected to be run through.

"My name's Allen," Allen said a little awkwardly.

"I'm Alma!" Alma said cheerfully. He sidestepped Kanda and walked right up to Allen. Kanda felt slightly jealous that Alma had been able to approach Allen so easily but he pushed it off. Alma had a very endearing personality. "He's Kanda. Do you really not remember us?"

Allen looked up into Alma's face and he frowned before he shook his head. "No…I'm sorry." Allen sounded a little ashamed of that fact as he said it. Kanda furrowed his brow and he felt a strange emotion. Concern, perhaps?

"It's okay. Want to go get some food? You look hungry." Alma asked and Allen immediately perked up. Alma shot a look at Kanda over Allen's head that clearly said, 'He's not going to tell us anything until he's fed.'

"Che," Kanda grumbled as he sheathed Mugen. He would much rather find out everything that had happened since he had left but it looked like that would have to wait. Besides, Kanda still owed Allen for helping them escape.

Alma held out his hand but Allen pretended like he didn't see it and so he didn't take it. Kanda sympathized; he hated it when people thought he couldn't help himself too. Alma smiled halfheartedly before he rejoined Kanda and then beckoned to Allen.

He followed the two much older boys up through the maze of ruins to the surface in silence. Allen had to shield his eyes from the dim sunlight as he emerged but the other two were used to the transition. Their shoes kicked up dirt with each step and Allen kept on stumbling over ruble but all in all they were making good time.

Kanda would occasionally look back to see Allen glaring at him as if his head were in pain bout it wasn't until five minutes later that Allen finally started talking.

"Kanda…?" Allen muttered and the samurai stopped and looked back. Allen had his head cocked to one side and he had a withdrawn look on his face. Alma continued walking for a few more feet before he too stopped and looked back at Allen. "Were you…a member of the Black Order?"

"Yes, we both were." Kanda said and he indicated Alma and himself to explain who 'we' were. Distrust flashed in Allen's eyes and Kanda felt more confusion at this reaction. Why would Allen distrust him for that?

"Why did you leave?" Allen said very carefully as if he was tiptoeing around some unknown subject.

"Che." Kanda said as he tried to figure out how to respond to the question. It was complicated and Kanda wasn't sure if Allen would understand if his memories were gone. "I didn't agree with some of the things they thought were…important." Kanda finally said.

"You helped us escape," Alma added. Allen nodded. Kanda's words had echoed what Neah had told him on the day Allen had woken up and although he still didn't trust them it made them more believable.

"_The Black Order is just as bad as the Millennium Earl."_ Neah had said. _"Both think of everyone else as merely tools to use to meet their own goals. If you disagree they will make you out as a traitor and try to have you put to death. They are two forms of the same evil." _

"_So all my friends…?" Allen asked and he looked at the floor so Neah wouldn't see the tears in his eyes but it was no use. A hand pressed gently down on Allen's back and started rubbing circles. As much as he wanted to put up his normal smile and say he was fine, all this information was too much for Allen and he crumbled. Allen buried his face in Neah's chest and he grabbed his shirt. There was an awkward pause before Neah hugged Allen closer and shushed him soothingly._

"_They are good people but they've been deluded into thinking that they are doing the right thing. The Black Order may be bad but the people used as pawns are just like you or I." Neah muttered. Allen's breath hitched in his chest and he looked up at Neah's face. _

"_So do you use people as pawns?" _

"Moyashi?" Kanda asked cautiously and Allen's eyes refocused immediately.

"Are you okay?" Alma asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Allen said and he smiled happily. Kanda recognized it as the smile Allen had always worn at the Order. _So it always was fake…_Kanda thought and for some reason this made him feel sad and angry at the same time.

"Are you still up for getting food?" Alma asked and Allen looked horrified at the thought of not getting food.

"The Moyashi always wants food." Kanda said before Allen had a chance to open his mouth. He didn't even bother to look at Allen before he spun on his heel and strode past Alma.

"My name's Allen!"

XXX

One month ago.

"So do you use people as pawns?" Allen asked and Neah's face fell a fraction. He stood up from the couch and the motion almost made the dislodged Allen fall to the floor. By the time Allen had readjusted his position, Neah had moved before the piano and he ran his fingers over some of the keys without pressing any of them. Timcampy fluttered over to Allen the second Neah moved and he settled down in his Master's hair.

"Yeah. Sometimes I do." Neah finally admitted and Allen felt his stomach drop. So Neah was just as bad as everyone else?

"Why?" Allen asked. Neah had his back to him so Allen watched his expression on the mirrored walls of the piano room.

"Because the other option is to fight alone and that's just something I'm not capable of." Neah admitted. "I do use people but I hate doing it. Even when they volunteer themselves to my service and they know what they've dragged themselves into I still hate doing it."

Allen considered that. When Neah put it like that it seemed as though everyone used everyone around them as tools to meet their own needs but that couldn't be true! Could it?

"They aren't pawns if they do it willingly." Allen said and Neah looked back over his shoulder at him. "They're friends."

Neah blinked a couple of times before he burst out in musical laughter. "What a naïve way of looking at things!" He chocked out. Allen felt his face go hot and he looked away. He had only been trying to make Neah feel better and now he was being laughed at!

"So what if it's naïve?" Allen grumbled. There were the sounds of footsteps and suddenly Timcampy was taken off the top of Allen's head and tossed over Neah's shoulder.

"Hey, naïve is good sometimes." Neah said seriously although his eyes still danced with silent laughter. "I kind like thinking of it like that. Makes me seem like much less of a jackass, doesn't it?"

"You're a good person." Allen said. He didn't know why Neah seemed to love to bash himself so much but Allen didn't think that it was fair. "You want to fight for a world without the Earl and the Order right?"

"Something like that." Neah said and he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Then you are a good person. Stop trying to be perfect." There was another pause before Neah started laughing again. He sat down on the couch next to Allen and beamed at him.

"I really like your way of thinking. I think we'll get along well."

* * *

**I really need to find a copy of the Fourteenth's melody that had Allen singing it all the way through instead of that random, unexplained broad. -_-**


	8. Distortions

**This might just be my fastest update yet! :D

* * *

**"Kanda," Alma muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "Does he always eat this much?"

"No, most of the time he eats more."

"More? But…how?"

"He's got parasitic Innocents." Kanda muttered back. The trio had hiked down to the nearest town and entered the first café they had spotted and taken seats at the patio. Alma had, rather stupidly in Kanda's opinion, told Allen he could order as much as he wanted. There were now plates piled all over the tiny table and Allen was devouring a large plate of some sort of chocolate bread.

However, Allen was eating with much less vigor than he normally did and he didn't seem extraordinarily hungry. Kanda had also noticed that Allen seemed underweight and the hike out of Martel had worn Allen out more than it should have. Whatever had happened since Kanda left the Order, it had caused Allen to become slightly unhealthy. Well, at least Allen looked like he had enough sleep which had never happened while Kanda was there.

"Done yet, Moyashi?" Kanda asked as Allen set the last plate aside. Allen glared at him and an angry tic appeared on his forehead.

"My name's Allen." He said irritably. He didn't say anything else so Kanda assumed that meant he was done eating.

"Alright, then were going back to Martel. Alma, you stay here and pay the bill." Kanda said as he stood up.

"Wait! Why do I-?" Alma started but he stopped after Kanda shot him an angry glare. Kanda wanted to talk to Allen in private. They had been comrades of a sort and whatever had happened made Kanda more than a little worried.

"Let's go." Kanda said and he stalked off without waiting for Allen to even stand up. He had made it a block before Allen managed to catch up. He fell into step a little ways behind the samurai and he had to jog slightly to keep the distance between them. Kanda noticed this but he did nothing to make the walk easier.

They kept up the relatively harsh pace back up to Martel. Upon arrival, Kanda picked a stable looking building and he led Allen inside. The boy's chest was heaving and his face glistened with sweat and he sat down heavily on a pile of rubble. Kanda allowed him to catch his breath for a few minutes while he pondered Allen's exhaustion. The first time they had come to Martel, Allen had been able to match Kanda's pace at a full on sprint without breaking a sweat and now he couldn't even handle a brisk walk? That was just another tally in the 'he's unhealthy' column.

"Where's Timcampy?" Kanda asked finally. He wondered if the golem had recorded anything that might be useful. Unfortunately, Allen just shrugged.

"I lost him in the labyrinth. He's probably gone back into the Ark to wait for me to come back." Allen said.

"Che." Kanda grumbled and he eyed Allen in silence for a few minutes before he finally asked the biggest question on his mind. "Why are you a little kid?"

"Is that a trick question?" Allen asked and he gave Kanda a funny look. Kanda was about to start yelling when a thought struck him. If Allen had lost his memory then could it be that he didn't realize that he had become younger?

"Moyashi,"

"It's Allen."

"How old are you?" Kanda asked as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"Around twelve."

"Che," Kanda grumbled and he ground one of his knuckles into his temple. How had Allen become younger? There was no way that could happen! Unless this was somehow Komui's doing? Kanda remembered all too well the potion that had turned both Lavi and himself into little kids. That was the most logical option and if that was the case then Allen would change back on his own.

Kanda took up position leaning against the opposite wall and he gave Allen a disdainful glare. Allen was becoming increasingly confused by Kanda's aggressive behavior and he smiled nervously but the smile just pissed Kanda off even more. It was fake and now that Kanda knew that everything about Allen seemed fake. Like the friendly person that had come to the Order was just a mask for a cold hearted and distant person and that idea made Kanda uneasy.

"What happened to the Order after I left?" Kanda demanded and Allen gave him a sheepish smile.

"I-err, I don't remember much of anything that happened while I was with the Order." He confessed.

"Why can't you remember?"

"Well Nea-" Allen cut himself off and Kanda narrowed his eyes. So there was something that Allen didn't think he could trust Kanda in knowing? "When they took away the Crown Clown they had to make sure that all my cells infused with Innocents where removed. That did something to my brain so I lost most of my short term memories." Allen said but he stumbled over a couple of the words as if he was reciting something someone else had told him.

Kanda stood with his jaw slack for a few moments and he stared at Allen's Innocents. Clearly, it was still there. "Why did they take away the Crown Clown? Who are 'they'? How did you get it back?" Kanda said the second his brain started working again.

"The Black Order put me on trial for heresy and they ripped it off because they thought that I was dangerous." Allen said. Kanda was stunned and his eyes were stretched wide. "The Clown came back a couple of weeks later after it escaped the Order."

"Heresy?" Kanda demanded. Allen nodded and looked at the ground.

"I don't remember what I did but I know they killed Master first for the same reason." Allen said softly but there was an edge to his voice. "And I know that no one tried to help me or even defend me."

"Was it because of the Fourteenth?" Kanda asked and he recalled how Allen had transformed into a Noah several times before. Had the Black Order finally decided that he was too dangerous to be kept alive? Had Allen actually lost control again and then transformed completely? Allen looked up blankly and he cocked his head to one side.

"The Fourteenth? What's that?" Allen asked and Kanda stared at him incredulously. How the hell had Allen managed to forget about _that_? Kanda walked across the room and he crouched down so he was eye level with Allen.

"Moyashi-"

"It's Allen."

"I want you to tell me everything that you remember about the Order. Starting from the first time you joined." Kanda said. Allen stared at him for a few seconds before he nodded.

"I joined after… um," Allen put a hand to his head and his face crinkled in concentration. "My Master ditched me in India. He hit me on the head with a hammer." Allen said and there was a lot of resentment in his voice as he recalled that. "It took a while but eventually I made it to the Order Headquarters and I joined. I made friends there but I can't remember much about them…just blurry faces and fragments of conversation." Now Allen seemed as if he was in pain and he grit his teeth as he tried to remember.

"We went on missions…I saw the Earl a couple of times and we fought but he always got away. My Master came to the Order at one point but everyone was unhappy and tense. I was scared of… something. I wanted to talk to Master but I couldn't and I was put under surveillance. Then…I…um…" Allen started to trail off as he got to the point where his memories become particularly messy. All he saw were tiny pictures and wisps of conversation. There was one picture that stood out in his mind though and his eyes hardened as he thought about it. "They killed Master." He snarled. Kanda blinked a couple times in surprise. He had only seen such an angry expression on Allen's face when Allen was presented with the Earl.

"And then I was put on trial for heresy. They took away the Crown Clown and sentenced me to death but I got away. I escaped to the Ark" Allen finished. He had left out all the parts about Neah out but he didn't think that Kanda needed to know about him.

"Did you try to use Timcampy to see what had happened?" Kanda asked as gently as he could.

"Yeah, but his records had all been edited and he can't exactly tell me what happened." Allen said and he frowned. Clearly he found it frustrating that he couldn't recall anything and Kanda found it to be equally so.

"Do you really not know about the Fourteenth?" Kanda asked and Allen shook his head. So Kanda would have to explain it. Awesome. Kanda stood up and started pacing a few feet away from where Allen sat. How should he start? "So you know about the Millennium Earl and the Noah Clan, right?"

"Yeah."

"So the Fourteenth is the fourteenth member of the Noah clan." Kanda said carefully as if he hopped that Allen would figure it out on his own but there was no sudden understanding in Allen's eyes. "And the fourteenth member is… well, it's you."

Kanda stopped pacing and stared down at Allen in anticipation but Allen still looked confused. Allen tucked some of his longer strands of hair behind his ear and he chewed on the inside of his cheek while he tried to comprehend what Kanda was telling him. Neah had told him about the Noah clan and Allen knew for a fact that he wasn't the Fourteenth Noah. Neah was. That fact had been made very clear.

"I'm not a Noah." Allen said and Kanda slapped his palm against his forehead.

"Yes, you are." Kanda said through grit teeth.

"No I'm not."

"Yeah, you are! That's why you were put on trial!"

"I'm not a Noah!" Allen protested and he got to his feet. Kanda still loomed over him but Allen felt a little less weak.

"Why can't you understand that you are?"

"Because I'm not a Noah!"

"Then why were you put on trial?"

"I don't know! I can't remember!" Allen spat back. Kanda's already thin patients were finally worn through and he grabbed Allen by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up until they were eye level.

"Damn it Moyashi! You! Are! The! Fourteenth!"

"No. I'm. Not! Neah is!" Allen blurted out and immediately his eyes stretched wide in horror. He put a hand over his mouth and he stared at Kanda, hoping that the samurai would not have realized the implications of what had been said. Neah's musical laughter echoed in his head and he heard the words, _"Don't tell anyone what I am, okay Allen?" _

"Neah is?" Kanda repeated and he let Allen fall to the ground. "Who is Neah?" Kanda asked and his voice was shaky. Allen was on his knees, rubbing the rapidly growing bruise on his neck from where Kanda had grabbed him. "Allen…who is Neah?"

Allen glared up at Kanda before he scrambled to his feet and bolted out the door. Kanda was frozen for a second before he charged after Allen onto the empty street. Kanda could easily catch up to Allen however, Allen had a head start and he had hidden himself somewhere.

"Moyashi!" Kanda shouted and he looked around wildly. "Where are you? I just want to help you!" He recalled Allen mentioning falling through a hole into the underground section of Martel and he made a quick mental calculation before he took off in a likely direction.

A few feet away, Allen was hiding behind a pile of rubble with a stone jabbing into his back at an uncomfortable angle. He waited until the pounding of Kanda's feet had faded into the distance before he stood up and looked around. There was no way Allen could have known what direction the door to the Ark was, he had always been terrible with directions and he was in an unfamiliar area but somehow Allen knew where he needed to go.

There was a song playing in the back of his head and it guided his feet. Allen had created the door and now it was calling him back with the same melody. The going was slow and Allen had to duck inside a building every time he thought he heard a sound but the tune kept him on course.

Allen was going to make it back but he groaned as he thought of the scolding Neah would give him for being late to dinner.

* * *

**No Neah in this chapter! Gasp! Don't worry, he'll come back soon. :D **


	9. Return to the Ark

**I like to think that my writing gets a little better with every chapter I put up. :P

* * *

**Kanda grit his teeth and he looked around wildly for an Ark door. He had been running around for hours but he had yet to find it. How hard could it possibly be to find a giant, glowing white door? Harder than it sounded, that was for damn sure.

"Hey! Moyashi!" Kanda shouted once more but there was still no response. "Damn it!" He hissed under his breath before he started running in a new direction.

_God damn fucking little brat! _Kanda thought as he forced open a door and stormed through a house. _What the hell is he hiding? He said that someone called Neah was the Fourteenth… What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Has the Noah been talking to him? _That was a terrifying idea. What kind of lies could Allen's Noah feed to him with Allen's memory gone?

As much as Kanda didn't like the thought it made a lot of sense. It certainly explained some of Allen's strange behavior. Well whatever the problem was, Kanda would worry about it after he found the Moyashi and beat the hell out of him.

Kanda ran back out of the street and he picked a new direction at random. He was panting now and sweat was dripping into his eyes but he still had plenty of energy left. As Kanda turned to ran through a thin ally he spotted something tiny and gold come careening at him. "Timcampy?" Kanda asked in surprise a second before the golem smacked him in the side of his face.

For something so small, Tim did a remarkable job of diverting Kanda's momentum and knocking him off his feet. Kanda landed next to a pile of rubble and Timcampy buzzed around his head in a panicking manner, even after Kanda sat up and shook his head.

"What was that for?" Kanda snarled and he snatched Timcampy from the air and held him up to his face. Kanda's first thought had been that Timcampy was trying to keep him away from Allen but upon closer inspection that did not seem to be the case. Timcampy wasn't struggling and it seemed perfectly willing to let Kanda hurt it.

Kanda growled at it and he gave it a skeptical look before he uncurled his fingers and let Timcampy fly free. The golem bobbed up and down for a few seconds before it came to rest on one of the sitting samurai's knees and it started to project images. They were grainy and the sound quality was so poor that Kanda had to cup his ears to make out any sound but he still understood what the message was.

The first image was of Allen in the Ark's piano room, at his original age, except his eyes were so dark they looked black and his hair was black and as spiky as it was when the Crown Clown was activated. Only this Allen was smirking and he had a malicious glint to his eyes. It struck Kanda that he was looking as the Fourteenth Noah while it had complete control.

"Look who's finally up." The Noah said and his voice made Kanda's skin crawl. The sound was a little off sync with the Noah's lips and there the musical voice was greatly distorted by static to make it sound deranged. The image shifted as Timcampy moved before it refocused on the fourteenth's face once more. "Oi, don't get up on your high horse. I could have left you in that hospital." Neah said pleasantly.

Kanda watched the bizarre seen unfold as the Noah fell asleep on one of his room's many couches and Timcampy made the discovery of the fake-Allen.

"What the…?" Kanda trailed off as the scene changed to when the Fourteenth implanted Allen's memories into the fake body. His confusion grew as the curse vanished from the Noah's face and reappeared on the new body. Timcampy had managed to get a close up look at The Noah's face as he examined his damaged eye and Kanda felt a wave of revulsion at how easily Neah took in the sight of his eye split open and cloudy.

As the scene unfolded, the quality became better until it looked like Kanda was seeing this for himself instead of a projection on a golem. The fake-Allen's eyes slowly blinked open while the Noah was fixing up his injury and Allen looked around the room with glazed eyes. Allen finally focused on Timcampy and he started to mumble about things Kanda didn't quite understand. Slowly, Allen started to become more and more distressed before the Noah reappeared in the picture.

The Fourteenth put his hand on Allen's shoulder and said, rather pleasantly, "Hello Allen, I'm glad that you're awake."

"Who are you? Allen demanded and Kanda was surprised by how quickly he hid all the signs of distress on his face.

"My name's Neah and I am your ally."

Kanda wasn't sure how to take in this new information but it was disturbing to say the least. Bloody hell, it seemed like the more Kanda got to know Allen the more he was disturbed by him! The scene changed again and this time Kanda was seeing Neah talking to Allen in the piano room.

Neah was talking to Allen about both the Earl and the Order. Kanda wanted to be able to say that Neah was lying but actually he was saying things that Kanda agreed with. The leaders of the Black Order was just as evil as the Earl but the people that blindly worked for either of the two might not necessarily be evil themselves. Neah spun a web with his words that seemed to entrance Allen and Kanda couldn't blame him.

Neah even admitted to hurting and using other people to get what he wanted but that didn't even seem to bother Allen. Instead Allen comforted the Noah and told him it was okay to accept help from friends. Kanda grit his teeth at that line. It meant that Allen thought he was fighting for Neah out of his own free will and that would make it all the more difficult to convince him that he was being used.

The recordings faded away and Kanda leaned his head back while he tried to comprehend what he had seen. Clearly, Neah was brilliant. You could say many things about the Noah but no one could say that he was stupid. He had managed to make Allen, a person completely devoted to the Order, completely devoted to him with only a short conversation. That was insane.

No wonder Timcampy had come to get Kanda. The golem must have been trying to contact someone that could help Allen for a long time and it had finally found the opportunity. Now it was up to Kanda to hunt down Allen and talk some sense into him.

"Okay," Kanda said to Tim. "Lead the way."

XXX

Allen held his breath and listened as hard as he could for Kanda but it was no use. The door was within his sight so the music was pounding in his ears. It was so loud that Allen was almost in pain but there was nothing he could do to block it off. Other than enter the Ark and destroy the door.

It was incredibly frustrating, being so close to his goal but unable to leave the shelter of a decrepit building. Not only that but night had fallen some time ago and the cloud cover was too thick for any light from the moon to pass through so he was even less sure of his surroundings. Kanda had the advantage of knowing the terrain so Allen had little doubt that he was somewhere in the area, waiting. It was even possible that Kanda had already entered the Ark and was now waiting for him inside.

Was it even possible for Allen to make it to the Ark in time? Allen estimated that he would be able to get to the Ark door in less than ten seconds after he broke cover but would that be fast enough? Allen took a deep breath and he tried to slow his pounding heart. It was no good to try and talk himself out of it, he needed to get to the door regardless of where Kanda might have been. The longer he waited the harder it would become for him to go. It would have to be now or never.

Allen's eyes darted around the desolate street once more before he jumped up onto the window ledge then fell forward onto the street, tripping over his own feet. Allen's chin throbbed with pain and there was a bleeding gash where he had made contact with the cobblestones but he didn't have time for that now. In an instant, Allen was sprinting to the door and shouting the song that destroyed the Ark door. This way, the door would vanish almost as soon as Allen passed through or it would be destroyed and Kanda would not be able to enter the Ark.

As Allen had feared, Kanda had been lying in wait and the second he saw Allen make a move he jumped down from the roof of a nearby building. "Wait!" Kanda shouted but Allen couldn't hear him over the sound of his own shouting and the music pounding in his ears. Even if Allen had heard Kanda, he would not have stopped; he was as focused on his goal as a hawk on a sparrow. There was no way that he was not going to escape! Kanda charged after Allen and he finally managed to grab him by the arm just before Allen reached the door.

"Got you!" Kanda shouted and Allen whipped around to glare at him. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw Timcampy perched on Kanda's shoulder but he got over the betrayal quickly.

"Let go!" Allen shouted and he tried to pull free. Kanda tightened his grip on Allen's arm until blood started to well up where his nails dug in. Kanda started to pull Allen back and away from the crumbling Ark door but Allen was too desperate to be taken away from his goal now.

Allen reached with his free hand and his fingertips only just managed to get into the Ark door but that was enough. Allen was sucked in and Kanda was dragged in too. The trio vanished into the Ark a second before the door finally shattered and they landed in a heap on the white street. "Let go!" Allen shouted again and he tried to wriggle free but it was no use, Kanda's grasp was too tight.

"Now then Moyashi," Kanda snarled and he twisted Allen's Innocence-arm behind his back. Allen gasped in pain and he tried to hit Kanda with his other arm but he stopped when Kanda twisted harder. "We're going to go find Neah."

XXX

"Whoa!" Lavi yelped as the train jerked to a sudden stop. Neah, being completely bound in ropes from the shoulder down, was unable to stop himself from sliding forward off his seat, smacking his head painfully against the opposite bench, and finally crumpling to the floor.

"Uhhh," Neah moaned and he curled up slightly as his head throbbed.

"Are you okay?" Lavi asked before he remembered that he was talking to Neah and not Allen.

"I think I have a concussion." Neah hissed through grit teeth. Lavi grunted dismissively before he stood up and peered out the door of the compartment. The two of them were alone in the rather spacious area. Kory and Bookman had both set up watches on either end of the trains and left the younger exorcists to watch the wounded Noah but Lenalee had to leave within the first five minutes after Neah looked at her.

That had all happened several hours ago and Lavi and Neah had spent the whole time lost in their own private thoughts. That was, until the train stopped 'mysteriously'.

Lavi picked up the surprisingly light Neah up by the ropes on his chest and he dropped him back on his side of the compartment. "If you have a concussion then just stay awake." Lavi said and he gave Neah a wary glance. He had not forgotten how easily the Noah had beaten Link and he was baffled by the sudden decrease in strength. "I'm going to see what's going on."

They were in the middle of a rather ominous looking forest, far away from any train station or even any form of human civilization. Lavi could only assume that there had been some form of problem with the rail so they had needed to stop. He was right to an extent but Neah doubted he knew the cause. Lavi glanced at the bound up Noah before deciding that there wasn't anything he could do to escape.

"Just stay there." Lavi said before leaving. Neah sat up as best he could and he listened for the sound of fading footsteps. When the sound of Lavi faded, Neah grinned and he started humming softly and forming a door to the Ark.

Neah had caused the sudden stop of the train with the help of Dark Matter. It was incredibly risky, seeing as how he was still recovering from the last time he used it but at this point he was running out of options. So he had torn some of the wheels and shredded the tracks up ahead without letting anyone notice until it was almost too late. Now, it was time for Neah to use the last of his pooled strength to get away.

"Later," He muttered to the exorcists that had stupidly left him to his own devices. A second later a door opened up under Neah and he fell through.

Neah landed on one of the couches of his piano room and he destroyed the door above him with little effort. Finally, he was out of harm's way! Neah spent a few seconds panting and trying to gather up the last vestiges of strength he had remaining before he sat up. Neah put his feet onto the ground and he stood up as carefully as he could. There was a knife in one of the back cupboards and Neah needed it to get rid of all the ropes.

He had to do an undignified bunny-hop over to the cupboard and he was _really _glad that no one was here to see his utter humiliation. After several minutes of rummaging with his face, Neah located a small blade and he picked up the hilt with his teeth. He lowered his head and he started to undo the ropes on his chest. In his way, Neah slowly freed himself. Obviously he took the knife in his hand when they were free.

Neah massaged some of the more painful rope marks on his side and he examined all the wounds the Innocents had left on him. If there was one good thing about the damn ropes, it was that they had stopped the bleeding. He was about to take off his bloodstained shirt when the door to his room cracked open and Allen peered around the corner.

"Neah?" Allen asked as his eyes fell on the Noah. Allen pushed his way all the way inside and he ran to Neah as quickly as he could. Neah let him run over and he noticed a strange look of panic and confusion in his eyes. Clearly he was worried about something on top of Neah's injuries.

"Allen, are you okay?" Neah asked gently as Allen dove at him and hugged him around his chest. Allen seemed to be on the verge of tears so Neah quickly hugged him back and rubbed comforting circles on his back. "What happened?" Allen pulled his head back and he looked into Neah's eyes with a surprising amount of intensity.

"Kanda."

* * *

**Failed cliffhanger... oh well, the next chapter will be out soon enough anyway...**

**I'm kind of thinking about starting a new D.G-M story but then my poor other stories might be even more neglected. T_T  
**


	10. When it doesn't go as planned

**To address a question I have been getting a lot lately; No this is not a pairing fic. Well there IS a little bit if LenaleeXLavi but I have no set pairings in mind. Although I do leave it kind of open so you can take away any pairing you want. :D**

**This chapter is a tad late because SOMEONE jinxed my muse. (Joking)

* * *

**"K-Kanda?" Neah repeated in surprise. Allen took a step back and he nodded solemnly. "Did you remember something?"

"No, I ran into Kanda on the outside and he followed me in here! He's in the Ark and Timcampy joined up with him!" Allen said and there was an edge of panic to his voice. Neah strode past Allen and cautiously peered outside of the piano room before he gently shut the door. Kanda had not been waiting just outside the door and now that it was shut, no one could get in that Neah didn't want to come in.

"Where is he?" Neah asked and he turned around to look at Allen.

"I don't know. I used the passageway that you showed me and got away while he was looking at an open doorway." Allen explained. Neah guessed that the 'open doorway' must have been the connection to Mana's grave site.

One of the things that Neah had found when he had first come to Ark was a series of seeming random tunnels that could quickly transport a person from one end of the Ark to the other. They were incredibly useful and as far as Neah knew, none of the Noah had ever discovered them. So one of the first things that Neah had shown to Allen was the passages hidden all over the Ark. Neah hadn't trusted Timcampy enough to let him hand around during the tour so the little golem had been devoured by a cat in Mexico by 'unfortunate coincidence'.

This was a lousy situation. Allen looked exhausted but even at full power he would be no match for Kanda. Not as a twelve year old kid, anyway and Neah was dead on his feet. He was injured and more weary than he had been since his death. Not only that but they were up against a perfectly healthy and remarkably powerful exorcist and a sentient golem.

_Gad damn it, Cross! Who the hell makes a sentient golem? What were you thinking? _Neah thought. _I should have destroyed the little fucker when I had the chance. _

"Neah?" Allen asked cautiously and Neah realized that he had been scowling off into space for the last couple of minutes. "Are you okay?" Allen's eyes looked big and Neah gave him a strained smile.

"Just fretting over nothing," Neah said dismissively. He walked past Allen again but this time he ruffled the kid's hair as he passed. Neah made his way over to the piano and he sat down on the long bench.

"What are you doing?" Allen asked. Neah realized that Allen had followed him and was now hovering just behind his shoulder. Neah shifted to one side of the bench and he pat the space next to him as a signal for Allen to sit down. He waited until Allen plopped down next to him before answering.

"I'm going to destroy the door to earth so Kanda cannot get through and find backup." Neah explained. In all likelihood, Lenalee was already at the site of his capture because of her dark boots and the others were on their way. The last thing Neah needed was to have all of those people running around and trying to kill him. "Then we have to deal with him."

Allen was about to say something but he fell silent the second Neah's fingers touched the keys to keep him from becoming distracted and missing a note. Of course, Neah could have played the song in his sleep but he did enjoy having a captive audients.

The door was destroyed after the first few notes but Neah continued to play for a long time after that. When he had created the room he had invested a vast amount of power into it although at the time it had seemed like nothing. Now that he was in such a weakened state, utilizing the room returned trace amounts of power back to him and it made recovery that much easier. On top of that, Neah really loved playing the piano.

XXX

Kanda walked slowly through the Ark, following Timcampy and keeping an eye out for Allen. How stupid did he have to be to let one little kid escape? Not only that but he knew for a fact that the Ark was the one place that Allen _never_ got lost in and that would make finding him incredibly difficult. That was only amplified by the fact that Kanda's actions had doubtlessly convinced Allen that he was an enemy.

To Kanda it seemed almost ironic that once he had helped Allen recover from transforming into Neah, then he had almost forced the Moyashi to transform, and now Allen was running to Neah for protection from Kanda. Kanda smiled humorlessly and he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of Mugen.

Kanda had given his Innocents to Allen after he left the Order. Even if he had kept it, he would not have been able to use it for fear of becoming a Fallen One. Fortunately, katanas were remarkably easy to come by in Italy so Kanda had wasted no time in getting a new one and naming it Mugen as well. It was stupid, true, and it was slightly pathetic, granted, but it made Kanda feel a hell of a lot better. He was up against a Noah without any Innocents and that had to be the dumbest thing Kanda had ever done in his short life so he needed what little comfort he could get.

Up ahead, Timcampy stopped in front of a door and it flew across its surface as if it was looking for a way in. Evidently, Tim couldn't find what it was looking for because it shot back towards Kanda and zoomed by so quickly that Kanda's hair was blown back. Kanda spun around to see that Tim had come to a standstill right in front of a different door and it was looking at Kanda expectantly.

"That one?" Kanda asked and Timcampy did the golem equivalent of rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well I don't like you either." Kanda grumbled resentfully. He pushed open the selected door and Timcampy shot inside.

With a little more dignity, Kanda stepped into what could only be described as a child's bedroom. There was a ridiculously huge bed against the back wall and every surface was covered in books and toys. The mess was stark contrast to the rest of the Ark and it seemed almost natural. As if it was occupied by a _human_.

"Allen's…?" Kanda hazarded a guess as he watched Timcampy settle down morosely in it's Master's bed. "Why here?"

"It just knows that it's not going to get to see it's Master again." Someone said from the doorway and Kanda's heart skipped a beat. It was Allen's voice, not the child-Allen but the one Kanda remembered only now it had an edge of cold hatred mixed with sickeningly sweet music. Neah. "Poor little Tim…you think it regret's it's betrayal?"

"He hasn't betrayed Allen." Kanda said without turning around. His hand was wrapped so tightly around the hilt of Mugen that his knuckles had turned white and his breath had quickened. He was up against a Noah! Kanda could barely take one down with Innocents, without it he as good as dead.

"I suppose it has tried to remain loyal…I wonder if it could be reprogrammed…" Neah mused and Kanda heard muffled footsteps on the room's carpet. "Probably not, it is one of Cross's creations. It'll be as stubborn as it's creator was." Neah said and the hairs on the back of Kanda's neck prickled as Neah got closer.

It was time to die, Kanda decided and he unsheathed Mugen as quick as a bolt of lightning. However, Neah was quicker. A hand grabbed the wrist that held Mugen and the blade fell as Neah squeezed a pressure point. Kanda was kicked in the back and he fell forward, hitting his head against the toy chest at the foot of Allen's ridiculous bed.

"Don't bother." Neah laughed as Kanda tried to struggle out of the muddled fog caused by the contact. "I can destroy you easily, former exorcist." Kanda growled and he glared at Neah. Part of Kanda wasn't ready to see a face almost identical to Allen's taking pleasure in causing pain but the greater part of him was too pissed off to care.

Kanda started to struggle to his feet when Neah delivered a mean left hook to his jaw and Kanda was down for the count. Neah's power had surged upward in the brief period of being away from Innocents. After constant usage of Dark Matter and being wounded by Innocents, Neah had assumed that he would be slaughtered by Kanda. After all, even being around the Crown Clown had slowed his healing speed to a crawl and he was still whipped out.

That was until he remembered that Kanda had given the real Mugen to Allen when he had fled the Order. Neah had been fighting for control at that time and so he had been paying little attention to what those around Allen had been doing but that wasn't really an excuse for forgetting something so important. An exorcist was something Neah was unable to handle at the moment but a human? That was a piece of cake, even if said human was an over-aggressive, sword wielding sociopath.

Timcampy buried himself deeper into Allen's blankets but Neah paid him no heed.

"Well then, Yuu-chan," Neah purred to the dazed Kanda. He bent down and sat on his heels so that he could their faces were level. Kanda's eyes came into focus and Neah hummed an eerie tune under his breath. To Kanda, it felt as though a thousand iron chains slithered over his body like serpents and bound him in place.

That was just a taste of the powers Neah had, to transform his words into something almost tangible. Sure, there were no _real_ chains but it _felt_ real enough to Kanda and that was all he needed. If the human mind thought it felt something then it could become real. Belief was a power thing. Belief in an illusion spun by a song of words was more than enough to keep Kanda bound in place, especially because there were no Innocents in the area so none of Neah's Noah powers had been dulled.

Kanda tried to struggle but his body would not move. Instead, the samurai had to settle for glaring resentfully at Neah. He felt strangely calm, even though he was literally staring death in the face. "Don't call me Yuu." Kanda finally spat but this just made Neah burst out laughing.

"I will when you stop calling Allen Moyashi!" Neah said as he stood up. Then, with a speed that was almost frightening, Neah stopped laughing and his face turned dead serious. Kanda was disturbed by the sudden transition and the following silence felt smothering. "Why are you here?" Neah demanded and he added a musical edge to his voice that demanded the truth.

"I'm here to save Allen." Kanda snarled.

"Save him? From me? Then what?"

"Tell him the truth!"

"Do you think he would believe you?"

"I-"

"You might not have realized this but the Order and the Earl are both after Allen's blood. Well, my blood but they don't seem to be able to tell the difference. If you 'save' him then you'll just sentence him to death. They will find him no matter where you take him. This Ark is the only safe place for him." Neah said in a cold voice. "And anyway, before you take him away you have to find him and then you need to convince him that you're telling the truth."

"I will make him know that it's the truth! I'll make him remember!" Kanda was getting tiered of the smug look on Neah's face and he wanted nothing more than to punch it.

"Make him remember? Good luck with that." Neah said with a smirk and he felt Allen's lost memories stir in the back of his mind. Neah could destroy then without batting an eye but you never knew when such things would come in handy.

"Timcampy can-!"

"Speaking of which, where'd that little bastard fly off to?" Neah wondered and Kanda growled. Did that damn Noah ever listen? Neah looked around and he quickly spotted the gold gleam of a wing tip jutting out from under a small heap of blankets. The golem was more trouble than it was worth. The fact that it had led Kanda here was more than enough proof that Timcampy was too unpredictable. It wanted to help Allen, even if it played the role of traitor and Allen grew to hate him.

That kind of devotion was something that Neah felt was too dangerous to keep around. He walked around the irate Kanda and he snatched up Timcampy with one hand.

"Do you know why I let you live?" Neah asked Tim gently. The golem struggled desperately in Neah's grip but it was unable to break free. "It was because I felt that with you around, Allen would be more likely to come to trust me. And it worked. Allen is as loyal to me as he once was to the Order" _Although he trusts me less than half as much as he trusted Cross or Mana._ Neah added silently.

Kanda didn't know what to say so he just watched with a look of surprise on his face. Even Timcampy had stopped struggling while Neah talked. All eyes were on him and Neah smirked in delight. "But now what? I don't need you and you betrayed him. So…please die." Neah said gently and his fingers tightened around Timcampy.

The little golem struggled desperately as little hairline fractures appeared around Neah's fingers then the fractures deepened into long cracks. There was a final resounding bang as Timcampy's clay body finally shattered into dust and sifted through Neah's hand.

Timcampy was dead.

As Kanda watched the Noah rub the remains of Tim into the carpet with his shoe he knew that along with the golem, all hopes he had of saving Moyashi were now gone.

* * *

**OOoooooOOhhh... Character death! **


	11. First Fight

**Dinky little chapter this one, no? I cranked it out. I'm attempting to update all my stories as quickly as possible so the update speed on this is going to slow down a bit. My muse has officially been 'de-jinxed' (thanks for this made up word. I'm going to use it on a regular basis now) and she wants me to type the skin off my fingers. She finds my pain funny. -_-

* * *

**"Let me go!"

"No, now could you please shut up?"

"Give me back Mugen!"

"No, now shut up."

"Get off!"

"Shut. Up."

"Let-"

"I swear on all that is holy, if the next words out of your mouth are 'me go' then I will drop you in the middle of the Atlantic! Now kindly shut the fuck up!" Neah finally snarled. Since destroying Tim, Neah and grabbed Kanda and hauled him out onto the street and he was now making his way to the nearest empty door. The endeavor was made irritatingly difficult by the struggling Kanda, not to mention his constant bitching and moaning.

Another drain on Neah appeared as Allen opened the door to the piano room and peered out to see how the fight was going. When he spotted the two teens on the street he bolted out of his safe haven and half stumbled, half ran to Neah's side.

The Crown Clown was evidently more pissed off with him than usual because Neah could feel the Innocents prodding the fragments of Allen in his mind and jab at the wounds left by Lenalee and Kory. His grip on Kanda grew a little weaker and it became almost impossible for his to stand up straight and smile.

"Hey Allen," He said halfheartedly. Kanda shifted slightly as Neah's fingers weakened on his collar but he was still unable to move because of the invisible bonds.

"Neah!"

"ALLEN!" Kanda shouted. Allen yelped and dodged behind Neah so that Kanda couldn't see him. It was all Neah could not to hiss in pain as the Crown Clown brushed his back.

"Did I not just tell you to shut up?" Neah inquired irritably.

"Allen you have to listen to me! The Noah just killed Timpyacm…" Kanda said and he blinked in surprise as the words came out muddled.

"Killed…? Neah killed… Timcampy?" Allen translated, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Wtah? Waht did yuo do to me, fcuikgn Nhao?" Kanda demanded and Neah smirked.

"What was that? I think you need to enunciate, dear Yuu!" Neah laughed. It was one of his favorite tricks, a single note that could temporarily rearrange someone's brain so that they would be unable to speak. The look on Kanda's face was downright priceless and he had been rendered unable to relay any important information to Allen.

"Wait… Neah? What did he mean by you killing Timcampy?" Allen asked and he wrinkled his brow in confusion.

"Later."

"Lsiten, Mashyoi! Hs'e Lnieg to you!"

"That's enough out of you." Neah snapped and he continued walking. He was getting more and more pissed and as his anger level grew, Kanda's chances of survival dropped. Allen trailed after them and he glared at the back of Neah's head.

"Neah. Did you kill Timcampy?"

"Later, Allen, I'm busy." Neah said as politely as he could and without looking back. Allen was getting angry too but unlike Neah, Allen was the kind of person that endangered themselves when they were pissed. "Now is really not the time. We can discuss it in full later, okay?"

"But-"

"Later."

Neah stopped in front of a door and he paused for a second before he opened it to reveal a white wasteland in the middle of a blizzard.

"The bindings should fade in a little bit." Neah whispered into Kanda's ear. "Let's hope you don't freeze to death before then." He hefted Kanda up so that he was almost standing before he dangled him out of the doorway.

"Dnt'o!" Kanda protested right before Neah let go and Kanda went tumbling down to the white powder.

"Welcome to the Himalayas, Yuu-chan!" Neah yelled over the blizzard and his words crackled with laughter. A smirk played across his features as Kanda tried to keep himself from being buried. After a few moments, Neah looked away and raised his hand to destroy the door. Something darted past Neah, and landed messily outside before stumbling over to Kanda. Neah looked outside once more and he blinked a couple of times before he said, "Allen?"

The boy was standing outside the ark in the middle of a mountain blizzard, glaring at Neah. He was standing on top of a drift near where Kanda was and the samurai mirrored Neah's surprised look. "Myahosi?"

"Tell me what happened to Timcampy _now_." Allen demanded.

"Allen, this is incredibly stupid. Come inside before you freeze to death." Neah tried to reason.

"Then what about him?" Allen pointed to Kanda without looking away from Neah. "He'll die if he stays here!"

"He tried to kill us."

"Then take him back to where we got him! Ditch him on an island somewhere! This way is just too cruel!" Allen shouted to keep his teeth from chattering. Neah sighed heavily and he leaned against the doorframe. Allen was shaking and his skin was turning red but he was far too stubborn to come in until Neah gave him satisfactory answers.

"Fine. You win." He said heavily and he jumped out of the Ark and trudged over to where Allen stood. He spent a few seconds looking down at his former host with an unreadable expression before he walked past him. He grabbed Kanda by his collar and he dragged him back into the Ark, making sure to get as much snow as he possibly could down his shirt.

Once inside, he tossed Kanda hard enough so that he rammed into a flower pot and cracked it. "Uggh…" He groaned and he glared at Neah from the fetal position.

"There. He's inside now!" Neah yelled out to Allen. The boy had not moved from his spot and he was giving Neah a defiant glare.

"Tim." He said simply. "Did you kill Tim?" Neah grit his teeth in irritation but he knew that he had to tell Allen the truth. He knew better than to make the web of lies any larger.

"…Yes."

That evidently was not the answer Allen wanted because he balked. "Why?"

"He betrayed us, Allen. He was flawed and it would have been impossible to fix him. Besides, it was only a golem."

"Only a…Only a golem?"

"Yes Allen, it was just a golem. It might have been more advanced than others but it was just a golem."

"But he was my friend!"

"He was everyone's friend. That's how he was made. In the end, he was more loyal to the Order than you and so he betrayed you. It gave away our location to him," Neah gestured at Kanda who was still curled up behind him. "But if there had been Order members in the area he would have lead them to you and you would be on trial for heresy as we speak."

"That's not-!"

"Yes, it is. Cross gave him free will and that's just downright dangerous." Allen flinched as Neah mentioned his master's name but other than that he did not react. "Allen, come in here before you freeze or do I have to go out there and drag you in?"

There was a moment's pause before Allen slowly walked forward and entered the Ark. He refused to look at Neah and he just stood off to one side as Neah destroyed the connection. The tension in the atmosphere was so thick that it could be cut with a knife and the three of them avoided eye contact.

"Allen," Neah finally said after a minute of silence. "Could you go get your own food for the night?" Allen blinked in surprise and Neah tossed him the deck that Tikki Mikk had given Allen on the train. The boy caught the deck in both hands and he held it too his chest while giving Neah a skeptical look. "You can go anywhere you want." Neah added.

"What about him?" Allen denoted Kanda, who was still slumped over and unable to speak properly. "You won't dump him anywhere?"

"I'll stick him in one of the prison cells." Neah paused as Allen shook his head. "Fine then, I'll take him to my room. He'll be there when you get back."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Alright, I'll be back…soon." Allen said carefully and he spent a few moments studying Neah before he spun on his heel and took off running.

_Well that went over well. _Neah thought to himself. He had given Allen some time to himself so that he could decide what he wanted to do but Neah had little doubt in his mind that he would return. He had stayed loyal to the Order even when they had given him a shadow and killed Cross so he would stay loyal to Neah even after such a minor crime. Probably.

Neah looked down at Kanda and he growled in the back of his throat. It was time for them to have a little talk.


	12. Irish Lullaby

**Yay! New chapter! I tried really hard to update some of my other stories but nothing was coming so I went ahead and did another one of these! Yay me! :D **

**P.S. No, I still don't own D. Gray Man. If I did, Cross would still be alive. **

**

* * *

**Allen ran away from Neah with the deck of cards gripped tightly in one hand. He didn't know what emotion he should feel; scared, angry, or just plain confused. Everything had gone so…so _wrong _over the course of a single day and he didn't know what had happened. Whose fault was it? Was it Neah; who killed Timcampy and then tried to kill Kanda? Was it Kanda? He was still a person that Allen didn't know much about and he very well be trying to kill Allen. Was it Tim, Allen's closest friend and the one that had lead him to Kanda then sold him out?

Or was it Allen's fault for naively following all of them in turn?

Allen bit his bottom lip and he skidded around a corner. He knew that his mind had been scrambled but he felt as though there was something that he should have never forgotten. One memory that answered all his questions; the most important memory he had ever had…then lost. It was eating away at the back of his mind and it was incredibly aggravating. It wasn't like he had forgotten that something, no. It was more like it had been taken from his mind and now there was a big, gaping hole in its place.

All the memories he had were fragmented clues… they all pointed to one conclusion and Allen had once known what that conclusion was. But now it was gone and the absence of that information was weighing heavily in his mind. He felt empty, stupid, and naked without it.

_Stop it._ He chided himself. _When has that kind of thinking ever gotten you anywhere? Stop feeling sorry for yourself! If it bothers you then-_

"Figure out for yourself what's missing." Allen said and he smiled slightly. The clues were imbedded in him mind and the people around him knew about it. If Allen was clever… if Allen was sneaky then he could find out what he had forgotten.

Without breaking stride, Allen started singing the song that would unlock the door to the Ark. He didn't care where he was going. So long as there was a sleazy den that would let a twelve year old kid gamble and a nice restaurant. An image flashed through his mind and he concentrated on that as he flung open a door and dove through the opening.

It was night out but the city was lit by the white glow of the moon and the orange light of fire so that

it was almost brighter than the Ark. The air was hot and heavy and breathing it was similar to attempting to bring a butter knife through a brick but Allen liked it. When he had first been to this place, it had been buzzing with people celebrating some kind of festival and Cross had picked up several women within a matter of seconds.

Now, the city was, for the most part, asleep. A few drunks stumbled around in the road and a young couple was cuddling under a tree but other than that not a single living person was out. Allen wiped sweat off his brow and he tried to get his bearings. If he remembered correctly there was a dingy little pub a few blocks away.

Allen picked up a handful of dirt and he dusted his nice clothes with it. It was easier to move through a place like this if you looked like a poor, lower-class punk and not a rich brat so Allen needed to make himself look like he had spent the day working some kind of dangerous job. It was almost funny, back when Cross had been around…

_Don't start with that_. Allen warned himself and he heaved a sigh.

He tucked the deck of cards safely away into his back pocket as he ruffled up his hair so that it stuck up at an odd angle. He frowned as his hair flopped back into its original position and he clapped his hands together so that a small cloud of dust plumed up.

"Good enough," He decided as he caught his reflection in a shop window. Without further ado, Allen bolted off down the almost empty streets as if he had all the legions of Hell on his heels.

XXX

"Hello? Kanda, where are you? HEY!" Alma shouted through cupped hands. He had returned to Martel several hours after the other two and now he was looking everywhere for them. "Really, you two! Where are you guys hiding? I don't want to play hide and go seek! Hello?"

Alma was worried. He knew that Allen had come from the Order, how could he ever forget that? Allen had been the person that had saved him! What worried Alma was the fact that Kanda was alone with him. Kanda was scary at best and if Allen didn't cooperate then he could become violent. Alma wanted to be there in case Kanda _did_.

"Allen? Kanda!" He shouted again and he clambered through the passage that led to Martel's underground section. They didn't appear to be anywhere above ground so now Alma had no choice but to try to navigate the great labyrinth. "Damnit Kanda, where are you?" He muttered under his breath as he tripped over yet another pile of stone.

XXX

At that moment, Kanda was being dragged back up the street in the Ark that led to Neah's room.

"God damn, you're heavier-ugh-than you look." Neah panted. He had a hand on Kanda's collar but the going was much slower than it had been previously. The sudden rises and falls in the Noah's strength were baffling to Kanda and he was trying to figure out some kind of pattern for where they came from. What he knew so far was that the Fourteenth seemed to be very injured and in a lot of pain but he also had an insane, scratch that, an inhuman amount of power bubbling up under the broken exterior that he could use every time he got pissed…or bored. Another important thing that Kanda had noticed was that the Noah had been in his white form during the entirety of their encounter.

"Lelw, I cuodl wlka if _snmeooe _hdat'n-"

"Shut up. Just shut up." Neah snapped. The brain-scramble would wear off soon enough but until that time he really did not want to listen to what were basically the ravings of a mad man. He could have undone all the songs he had placed on Kanda but that would mean that Neah would have wasted even more power than he already had.

Besides, Neah was almost completely positive that he would find this situation extremely funny later on.

"Right, here we go." Neah grunted and he dragged Kanda into his room, silently thanking Allen for leaving the door ajar. One less thing for him to do. Every inch of Neah's body throbbed along with his heartbeat and, considering everything Neah had done recently, that was not really surprising. The grand totally of his expeditions since awakening summed up to this;

Escape from the Black Order.

Break into a hospital and steal a coma patient.

Overuse Dark Matter.

Gather information on the comings and goings of the Earl and the rest of the Noah all the while raising Allen to be completely loyal to him.

Get his ass handed to him by Lavi and co.

Overuse more Dark Matter.

Do some ass kicking himself with Kanda and Timcampy.

Loss all the accumulated trust Allen had in him within a matter of minutes.

The list may have been short but Neah was completely wiped out. Every cell of his body, every fiber of his being, craved for rest away from the hated Crown Clown and the brain-damaged Samurai but there was no way that was going to happen. No, Neah just had to suck it up and interrogate the hell out of Kanda.

_When I put it like that I just sound like a dick. _Neah thought to himself and he chuckled darkly. Kanda wriggled half heartedly as Neah picked him up and dumped him on his couch.

"Uhg," Neah protested and he rubbed his back. "Lift at the knees."

"Kolo-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to it." Neah snapped and he flopped down across from Kanda. The two watched each other in silence for a very, _very_ long time before Neah finally spoke again. "You left the Order, you have no connections to anyone except that Akuma kid…Al-something or other, and you owe Allen nothing. Why did you chase him back onto the Ark?"

Kanda lifted his eyebrows and pulled an irritable face but Neah just waved his hand in exasperation.

"The tongue-thing's worn off by now."

Kanda said nothing, choosing instead to glare at his captor.

"…speak."

Still nothing. Kanda tried to shift but the song's chains still held him in place.

"I know you can."

"Che."

"You have twenty seconds to give me a satisfactory answer before I run you through with a rusty spoon." Neah said in the same tone someone would use to say, 'Nice weather we've been having'. He didn't know where the threat had come from and he doubted there were any rust utensils anywhere on the Ark but the threat sounded nice. Good and sinister.

"His name's Alma." Kanda finally said and Neah grit his teeth. He balled up his fists before he stood up very slowly so he could glare down at Kanda.

"I. Don't. Care. About. Your. Boyfriend. Just answer my question."

"He's not my-!"

"I don't care! Why did you follow Allen back onto the Ark?" Neah shouted. The mirror behind him made a loud cracking sound and the glass was suddenly covered in a spider web of little fractures and Neah snorted through his nose. He uncurled his fingers and he sat back down heavily. Kanda was staring at the mirror with his mouth slightly a gape but other than that his expression was unreadable.

Neah had lost control (well his control had slipped for a moment anyway) for a moment and as a result he had said the word 'Ark' in the pitch he normally reserved for shattering glass. As a result, he now needed a new mirror.

"Why did you follow Allen?" Neah asked as calmly as he could.

"Che…"

"Yes?"

"You're using him." Kanda said reluctantly. He was speaking freely than he liked and he suspected that the Noah was forcing him to tell the truth. "He has the right to know the truth."

"I won't deny that and I will tell him the truth, when everything is over and the Earl is dead." Neah said impassively and he waved his hand dismissively. Truth be told, he had not planned out what he would do with Allen once he was the Earl and Kanda clearly did not buy his spur of the moment lie. "No, that's not the reason you came, is it? If that was the case then you would have been much more careful to not let him return to the Ark. You knew I was here and you sought me out. What did you think you could possibly do against me? You don't even have your Innocents!" Neah taunted.

"Why is the Moyashi a little kid?" Kanda asked abruptly.

"Eh?" Neah lifted his eyebrows in surprise. Kanda had spoken on his own free will and it seemed like he was almost trying to be humble.

"Why is he a kid? And furthermore, why is he alive?"

"That's…Well…I…Eh?" Neah said as he tried to decide whether or not to answer Kanda.

"Moyashi. Kid. Alive." Kanda said in an aggravated voice, He wished that he had Mugen with him so he could point it at the Noah's throat. "Why?"

Neah shook his head so that his hair fell over his eyes and he had to push it back. "Why do you care? And anyway, why should I answer you? You're my enemy."

"I just want-!"

"You might not be Allen's enemy." Neah interrupted and he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "But you are mine. And, seeing as how he doesn't trust you, what I say goes."

"I'm not with the Order anymore."

"True. But that doesn't mean you you're on my side either. Or the Earl's for that matter. You hate us. There's more than one side to this war, brat. There are as many sides as there are people. A slight difference in opinion makes all the difference in the world." Neah said coldly. He didn't know how much his words echoed what Cross had told Allen and neither, for that matter, did Kanda.

The bonds that held Kanda had loosened slightly and he sat up and glared at Neah.

"Look, Noah,-"

"I have a name you know. I'm Neah."

"I want to help the Moayashi-"

"He has a name too, remember? He's Allen"

"Because I do owe him. He helped Alma and I escape from the Order-"

"No, you don't. If anything, Allen owes you. You've saved his life way more times than he's saved you." Neah interjected pleasantly. "You wanted to save him because you're friends, correct?"

"I'm not-!"

"Whatever you say there buddy boy."

"Stop interrupting me, damn it!" Kanda snapped. Neah seemed to know every way to ruffle his feathers and he seemed to find in extraordinarily funny whenever Kanda got pissed. "Whatever reason Allen's alive, the fact is, he's alive! You don't have the right to control him just because you let him live!" Kanda shouted.

Neah leaned back in his seat hand he folded his hands in front of his face. So that was it; that was the real reason that Kanda had followed Allen back onto the Ark. Allen was being used in a similar way to how the Order had used the second generation exorcists. All humor and laughter vanished from his face and for once he was dead serious. Kanda blinked in surprise as if he thought the Noah's expression was a figment of his imagination but no. Neah was not angry or laughing for the first time since Kanda had met him.

"You're right." Neah said. There was no musical tone to his voice and he sounded exactly like the Allen Kanda had known so that for a second he was unsure if he was looking at the Noah or not. It was a silly delusion, Neah was still Neah. "I _am_ using Allen and I shouldn't be. But I have to use him and this way he thinks he's doing it willingly."

"_They aren't pawns if they do it willingly. They're friends." _The words Allen had said so naïvely echoed in Neah's mind and he felt strangely guilty but he knew that he had no other choice. Allen would never fight on the same side as the person that had stolen his body but he would fight on the side of the person that had saved his life.

"Che. You have to?"

"Yes. I have to."

"Why?"

Neah shook his head and he stood up. Kanda curled his lip and he tried to stand as well but he was still incapable of such movement and the best he could mange was to bounce on the cushion.

"'Destroyer of Time'," Neah muttered in his normal voice and he started to pace behind the couch he had been sitting on. "What do you suppose that means? Allen will destroy the Earl or…?" Neah trailed off and he stared at his splintered reflection in the mirror. His eyes slowly drifted out of focus and Kanda spent a very long period of uncomfortable silence waiting for Neah to finish before he got sick of it.

"Or? Or what?" Kanda growled. He watched Neah's reflection blink a couple times before he turned around and Kanda could look at his real face.

"Maybe he'll do something even more important. His role… even I can't guess what his role is but if it's what I suspect it will be then… it won't matter if he has his memories. He won't need them."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then I use him to take down the Earl and I give him back his memories and hope he doesn't try to kill me." Neah sighed and he ruffled up his hair sheepishly. "When Allen gets back, you won't say anything about this too him. If I think you might then I won't hesitate to kill you. You will go back to where you came from and you will never see either Allen or I ever again."

Neah wasn't asking and he wasn't ordering Kanda to do anything. He was simply stating the facts as he saw them.

"You're evil." Kanda snarled. "And you're trying to make the Moyashi evil too."

"Am I as bad as the Earl?"

"Worse."

"Is that a fact?" Neah mused and he fiddled with a strand of hair between his thumb and forefinger. "I could have taken away Allen's free will and made him like an Akuma. You know that?"

"You're doing something worse than that."

"Oh?"

"Yes!" Kanda snarled and he stood up without realizing that his bonds had vanished completely. "You're distorting him and turning him into a monster! If you had taken away his free will then at least it wouldn't have been Allen! What are you going to make him do, huh? When he remembers who he is he'll hate himself for what you made him!"

"Or he could not care who he used to be and just enjoy who he'd become." Neah said impassively. "I'm going to do whatever I have to and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Is that so?"

"Yep." Neah said. He hated what he was saying and he hated the fact that it was true but what else could he say? 'Oh no, I'm just keeping him around as a momentum of Cross and Mana'? That was true to some extent but Neah had never been the sentimental type. He did what he had to and he had to use Allen.

Use Allen or let the whole world be crushed by either the Earl or the Black Order. What other choice did he have?

"Now then, I'm really done with this conversation. Go to sleep, Yuu Kanda." Neah said in a low voice that was indisputably a lullaby. Kanda's eyes drooped slightly and he swayed but he stayed on his feet and even managed to start to walk forward. Neah took a deep breath and he closed his eyes before he started singing in a loud, clear voice.

"Over in Killarney  
Many years ago,  
Me Mither sang a song to me  
In tones so sweet and low. Just a simple little ditty,  
In her good ould Irish way,  
And l'd give the world if she could sing  
That song to me this day.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry!  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby.

Oft in dreams I wander  
To that cot again,  
I feel her arms a-huggin' me  
As when she held me then.  
And I hear her voice a -hummin'  
To me as in days of yore,  
When she used to rock me fast asleep  
Outside the cabin door.

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry!  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby."

He didn't need to sing anymore, Kanda had collapsed in the middle of the first chorus and he wouldn't walk up for a long time but Neah loved music almost as much as he had loved his brother. Without any real intention, Neah sat himself down and he started to play the lullaby on his piano.

The sounds seemed to dance around his room and flood the entire Ark one room at a time. Before Neah knew it, his mirror had been fixed and the small pile of dirty dishes that Allen had left in the dining hall washed themselves and then tucked themselves away in a cupboard.

Not once did Kanda stir from the floor.

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**I stuck Alma in there...some people were asking me what he's been up to so there you have it! Hope you liked it! **


	13. In which we meet

**Hmm... I wonder if I have too much angst in this story or if I interject too much dry humor into it? Or maybe my writting is good the way it is...

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**"Call it!" Allen said brightly as he slammed the cards down on the small table.

"Royal Straight Flush?" The three men around him gaped. They had been gambling for only an hour and yet Allen had managed to win all of their money, valuables, and now the three of them were in their underwear and clearly aggravated that they were losing to a kid.

"That's it, brat! You're cheating!" One of the men shouted and he stood up so quickly that the table was flung to one side, cards and drinks smashing against the floor. The resounding clatter was loud enough for everyone in the gambling den to fall silent and look over at the group of people in the corner.

"Do you have any proof?" Allen asked coolly and he smiled. The man stormed over to him and he didn't even cringe as he stepped on broken glass with his bare foot as Allen had already won his shoes.

"Calm down, Jeffery."

"Yeah man, he's just a kid." The other two protested halfheartedly.

"This little kid just cheated us out of house and home!" The man-Jeffery-snarled. He grabbed the front of Allen's shirt and hefted him up so that they were eye to eye. The other people in the den gasped and protested, and in some cases laughed, but Allen just smiled sweetly.

"Sorry, Sir. I'll return all your clothes to you if you want. Your suitcases too; and all your valuables."

"I don't need pity from you, brat!" Jeffry bellowed and his spittle landed on Allen's cheek.

"Eww… gross." Allen muttered and he wiped off his face as best he could at his odd angle. As punishment for looking away, Jeffry shook Allen and the boy yelped as his shirt tore. _Oh shit! Neah's going to kill me! _Allen thought and he glared into the man's eyes. "I beat you. I didn't cheat, I'm just better than you."

It might have been a stupid thing to say but it was well worth it to see the look of anger on Jeffery's face. The man squealed in rage and he threw Allen at the ground. "You fucking brat! Give me back my- GET BACK HERE, NOW!" The man yelled as he realized that Allen had bolted the second his feet touched the ground.

Allen weaved through the tables with Jeffry blundering after him. Even if he was still a little weak, Allen was still smaller, faster, sober, and he had a head start so it was no surprise that he made it out first. He dashed up the stairs and almost ran into a young man in fancy clothes coming down.

"Sorry!" Allen shouted and he darted around the man and onto the street. He didn't even give a second thought to the young man that had run part way up after him with his jaw slack. More importantly and the first thin on his mind, Sir-Jeffry-Spits-A-Lot was still chasing him.

As per usual, Allen had only taken the money and left everything else. What use did he have for someone else's clothes and sentimental items? Sure, he _could_ pawn them off but he never really wanted to. Too much of a hassle. Allen weaved through the streets and finally scampered into an alley and he hid in the shadows and listened for anyone following him.

There was no sound of footsteps and no muttered curses. That usually meant that Allen had escaped but he stayed hidden for a little longer. The little hairs on the back of his neck were on end and he had the strangest feeling of being intently watched. Allen made his breath slow and regular and he felt his pounding heart return to its normal speed.

Allen was hungry and there was a restaurant not far away, the smell that wafted from the establishment made his mouth water. He quickly cleaned himself off, it was a handy skill he had picked up during his time with Cross. Either he learned how to make himself clean in a matter of minutes or he would be tossed into a snow bank and be yelled at for being dirty and a male.

Allen sighed and he pulled his shirt away from his chest so that he could look at the tear. Part of his collar had been torn off his shirt and now it hung limply down his collar bone. "Hnn," He muttered under his breath and he undid his red tie. After a few moments of careful adjusting he redid his tie so that it covered the hole and held up his collar.

"Works," He grumbled and he looked out onto the brightly lit street from his shelter to make sure that no one was waiting for him. Allen was about to saunter out when he felt fabric brush against his cheek and he stumbled back in alarm. "Who's there?" He called out.

He had felt something but there was no one there. He couldn't even hear anything. "Anyone?" He asked nervously as his heart pounded in his chest. After a long pause, he threw back his head and he burst out laughing.

_I need to get out more often if I don't want to go insane. _He thought to himself before he strode off in the direction of the restaurant.

XXX

Full and content, Allen weaved through the streets to where the Ark door was. He had music pounding in his head again and, although it was starting to get annoying, it was really quite useful. He defiantly did not have to worry about getting lost this way.

He still had the strangest feeling of being watched and his feet were moving faster and faster with each corner he rounded until he was sprinting. He would have normally just brushed the feeling off but he had already had more than enough weird things happen to him in one day and he was done. He wanted to get back to the Ark, get rid of Kanda, then go to bed with Timcam- oh. Right. Allen made a small noise in the back of his throat that was almost a sob and almost a cough and he shook his head.

Allen was starting to get tired of it. Couldn't he just walk back the Ark in peace? Was that too much to ask for?

Yes. Yes it was.

Even if it was all in Allen's head, he was already too freaked out to just stop running and anyway the music was so loud now; he had to find the Ark door before he went deaf. _I'll go home and everything will go back to normal. Neah will scold me for being a scaredy-cat but he won't really mean it. Then everything will go back to normal. I won't get into any more trouble, I swear! _

All of the sudden, the music stopped. The door was still there, Allen could feel it in the back of his mind but he had no way of finding it. "Uh oh." He muttered and he looked around wildly, eyes wide with fear.

"Hello," Said a slick voice ahead of him and Allen backed up as a man appeared out of the shadows. Allen recognized him as the man he had run into while leaving the gambling den but what the man wanted from Allen was a mystery. "Cheating boy A."

"W-Who are you?" Allen stuttered as he stared at the man's golden eyes. He was smiling like a lunatic and raised a hand so Allen could see the stigmata on the back of it.

"Oh come now, let's not play this game."

"Bu-I-uh… I really don't know who you are." Allen said in a small voice. He took a step back for every step the strange man took forward and his knees were shaking slightly. Out of pure instinct he activated the Crown Clown and he pointed his claw at the stranger. "Don't come any closer!" He threatened.

The man had stopped and he was staring at Allen with a baffled look on his face. "You're serious."

"Um, yeah."

"Well you do seem a little smaller than normal…" The man said and he bit one of his thumbs as he looked down at Allen.

"Hey!"

"And you're reaction wasn't normal… What's wrong with you, Cheating Boy A?" Allen stared at him in confusion and he took a step backwards. For some strange reason he didn't feel scared anyone. "Oh well. I am Tyki Mikk and a member of the Noah clan."

_So he's the same as Neah. _Allen thought to himself as Tyki took of his hat and preformed a magnificent bow. "What do you want?"Allen said as his eyes darted back and forth for a way to escape. It was dark, a cloud had passed over the moon, and the only light came from the windows of the houses. Everything was still and even the insects had stopped making noise.

_It's just like in the stories,_ Allen thought to himself as his eyes darted every which way. _Right before a murder happens. _

"I am going to destroy you Innocents. And then you're coming with me to see the Earl." Allen looked back to Tyki and he gulped. The Noah was enjoying this way too much.

"How did you find me?" He asked in a tiny voice.

"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time." Tyki said happily and he smiled at Allen. A normal, human smile. Then the corners of his lips twitched and he gave Allen the deranged smile once more.

Tyki suddenly appeared right in front of Allen and the boy didn't even have time to blink before he was punched and sent flying through a building. Allen's right leg made a sickening crunch and pain flooded his mind.

"AUUUUUGGH!" He screamed and the people inside the building fled to the upper levels and Allen curled up on himself. He really had to have the worst luck, didn't he? Of all the things he could have run into it just had to be a Noah. _Neah's never going to let me leave the Ark again. _Allen thought with the tiny part of his brain that wasn't consumed by pain. Then he thought_ I hope that I get to see Neah again. _

"Pathetic," Tyki cooed and Allen looked up a second before a boot slammed into his stomach. Allen was sent through the air once more only this time he spun and he crashed into the banister. The people upstairs screamed and Allen could hear people gathering around outside.

"Ughu!" Allen gasped and he tasted blood. Tyki smirked and he took a step forward but then he stopped and a confused expression played across his face. Allen coughed up blood and he glared up at Tyki as he waited for the finishing blow to come.

Instead, Allen felt a hand pick him up by the back of his collar and he looked to see a person he had not noticed until just then. His jaw dropped and a trickle of blood fell onto his white shirt. "You're…No way."

XXX

"How could you let the Fourteenth escape? You had him in your hands!" Malcom C. Leverier shouted at the gathered exorcists. Upon arrival, Kory, Lenalee, Lavi, and Bookman had moved as a group to Komui's office to give a report but they had discovered that Link and Leverier where both already talking to him. So they had, well Bookman had, been forced to give the report with the two of them present.

So now, Leverier was sitting in Komui's chair with Link standing at attention behind his left shoulder and Komui shifting nervously behind his right. Bookman was standing in front of the desk with his hands behind his back while Kory and Lavi was comforting Lenalee. The girl had gone stiff the second she saw her old antagonist and she had practically collapsed onto the couch. Lavi was squeezing her hand as discreetly as possible while Kory was rubbing circles on her back and smiling nervously.

"I think a better question is why the Fourteenth had both arms? Shouldn't the Crown Clown still be sealed in Hebraska?" Komui asked quietly and Leverier lifted an eyebrow without looking away from Bookman.

"Link!"

"Yes sir?"

"Go to Hebraska, see what happened to the Crown Clown."

"Yes sir." Link bowed to Leverier's back before he strode across the room and out the door.

"Good, now. Give me a detailed explanation of what the Fourteenth looks like now, you said his appearance had changed?" He asked as he leaned over the desk to leer at the Bookman. The little old man, however, was completely undaunted and he took a step away from the desk. On cue Lavi dropped Lenalee's hand he stood up. All eyes were trained on him and glanced at Lenalee's tearful face then Bookman's expressionless one before he cleared his throat.

"The Fourteenth had black hair and dark gray eyes. He was approximately 129 ponds and 5'6"" Lavi said calmly. "Or 58 kg and 168 cm. He had his left eye covered in bandages and he had both arms."

"That's it?"

"Yes, other than that he looks the same as Allen did." Kory added and Lenalee whimpered as she heard Allen's name. He was dead to her, he should have been dead to everyone, but she could not bring herself to be completely dispassionate about him either. She had once loved him and that made her hate the Noah that had stolen his body even more.

There was a loud knock at the door and everyone aside from Bookman jumped slightly and snapped their heads to look at the door as Link reentered. His forehead was slightly crinkled and he was chewing on the inside of his cheek but other than that his face betrayed no emotion.

"Well?" Demanded Leverier.

"The Crown Clown is gone. Hebraska doesn't know when it disappeared but she says it must have slipped past her somehow." Link said without coming any further into Komui's filthy office.

"Oh? Well then." Leverier said as he stood up. "Looks like I must go and pay her a visit." The pleasant tone of his voice sent shivers down Lenalee's back and she buried her face into Kory's chest until she was completely positive that he had left the room. Even then she waited until she felt her brother descend upon her and whisper comforting thing into her ear before she finally burst into tears.

XXX

Neah pulled the last of the bandages away from his face and he studied the injury in the mirror. There was a long, white scar where Allen's pentangle had once been. Only instead of curving, Neah's scar was a single straight line down his face. There was even a white patch in the middle of his eyebrow and his eyelashes were white were it passed through them.

When he finally worked his left eye open he found that the whole thing had become smoky white, the iris was faintly blue-ish and the pupil was a slightly grayer color but it was defiantly useless. Interestingly enough, the scar continued down Neah's eye only it became a black tattoo-like line that divided it in two. Not even dark matter would heal it; there was still residue from Mana's curse clinging to it that made it impossible for Neah to mend.

Whatever it looked like, it was as healed as it was ever going to get. Neah disposed of the old bandages and he didn't bother to rewrap his eye. If it wasn't getting better and the cloth was itchy then what was the point?

"Well, at least it looks badass." Neah grumbled as he twisted his head this way and that. It was a good thing that Allen wasn't perceptive; otherwise he might start asking Neah about the scar. In fact, there were a lot of things that Allen could ask Neah that would be difficult for him to answer.

Neah shut his eyes and he lean forward so that his forehead pressed against the cool glass of the mirror. Neah's story could only hold up under so much scrutiny and Allen was becoming doubtful. What could Neah do if Allen realized the truth? Erase his memories again? Feed him more lies? _Kill him?_

"Why can't it be easy?" Neah muttered and he opened his eyes. He blinked and pulled back before he transformed into his Noah skin as an experiment to see what his bad eye would do. The transformation went normally; his skin turned gray, the stigmata appeared, and his right eye turned gold. Interestingly enough, his other eye underwent a completely different transformation. The black ling on his eye widened into a cat-like pupil and the gray and blue parts turned black and golden-red respectively. Although he still could not see with it.

The white scar remained white and it stood out on his face like fresh blood on snow. _Bad analogy_ Neah thought and he grimaced. _I look like even more of a monster than the rest of my clan. That's just fan-fucking-tastic. _

Neah changed back to his human form and he ruffled his hair. He was unavoidably and undeniably a monster. Traitor to the Earl, disowned by the Noah, and loathed by the Order. Wasn't it just the best situation he could have ever asked for?

_At least Allen likes me. _A tiny voice in the back of his mind said but Neah dismissed it. _He'll hate me the second he learns about what I've done. There's no way I can get around that. _"Hmm," Neah grumbled and he trudged over to his couch, not even bothering to deal with the sleeping samurai on the floor.

Kanda was a big boy, sleeping on the ground wouldn't kill him.

With that in mind, Neah collapsed face first onto his couch. It was hard and it had very little give but that was just the way he liked it. There was the sound of the door handle turning and Neah groaned as the door to his room swung open. Allen was back already? What time was it? Neah placed an arm over the back of his couch and hauled himself up so he could give Allen a bleary stare.

He blinked one.

He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

He sat up and squinted just to be sure that his eyes-eye-wasn't lying to him.

With a certain sense of finality, Neah's jaw dropped and he said something along the lines of, "No fucking way. Why are _you_ here?"

* * *

**Who could it be? (I think it's obvious) Guess, maybe I'll tell you if you get it right. ;) **


	14. Not the best of anyone

**Well this was a big chapter. Funny thing is, it took me less than a week to type up. Why did it take me so long to put up? Oh, I'll tell you why, thanks for asking. Some jack ass hoping to get a quick buck infected my computer with a virus and I had to wage digital warfare with the bastard. Fortunately, all my important numbers is in a safe under my house so nothing important was stolen. **

**I also went on a ski trip. It was lovely.**

**Anyhow, thanks to everyone who reviewed! (Jess in particular) I hope you likes! :D**

**

* * *

**Alma yawned and sat down heavily against a crumbling bench. The sky had started to lighten and he was beyond exhausted. He had spent the entire night running around and shouting for Allen and Kanda. He had finally come to the conclusion that the two of them that left Maytel for some unknown reason and now all he could do was wait for them to come back and hopefully catch some shut eye while he was at it. That would be nice. Alma wrapped his jacket more tightly around his body and he coughed. He was slightly disappointed that he could see his breath. "Winter, you bastard." He muttered then he smirked. Kanda had said the exact same thing back when they had been in the Asian branch.

The birds had started chirping and red spread across the clouds as the sun climbed a little higher. Alma thought that he might have heard a saying that a red sky in the morning being very unlucky but he was too tired to care. Alma's eyes drooped and his chin went down to rest on his chest. When he woke up his neck would be sore but at this point Alma didn't really care. His eyes drifted shut and he slumped to one side as exhaustion overcame him.

"Alma!" A distant voice shouted. Alma groaned as he was roused momentarily from his slumber.

"Ung, shut it," He grumbled. His hair fell over his ears and it was only when they started to warm up that Alma realized how cold they were. How could _he_ was.

"Alma!" The voice said again and this time Alma raised his head and blinked in the direction of the sound. It was so close and it was familiar- if Alma wasn't so tired he would have placed it by now. "GOD DAMN IT ALMA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" The voice shouted and Alma was jerked completely out of his stupor, eyes wide. He stood up on shaky legs and he took a slow step forward.

"Kanda?" He muttered to himself as he looked around for his friend. Part of his registered that the sun was now high enough in the sky so that none of the clouds were red; he must have been asleep for a couple hours. It had only felt like minutes to him.

"ALMA!" Kanda bellowed again.

"Over here!" Alma tried to shout but his voice was hoarse. He had to settle for running in the direction that he thought Kanda was. "Kanda? Kanda!" He whisper-shouted as he went. He ran through street after street, unable to completely pinpoint where the voice was coming from. His muscles were stiff and sluggish, as if he had been pumped full of lead as he slept but he still pressed on. It wasn't until he ran past an alleyway and straight into Kanda that he stopped running and fell to the ground as his legs locked up.

"There you are!" Kanda snapped. He had managed to stop himself from falling by slumping against a brick wall. Alma wanted to start laughing with relief but what Kanda had said made him feel irritated.

"What do you mean 'there you are'?" Alma demanded as he raised himself up onto his elbows. "I spent the entire night looking for you! Where the hell were _you_? I was worried sick and when you finally do come back you act like I'm the one that ran away!"

"Alma-"

"No, shut up and listen, Kanda!" Alma was on a roll now and he got to his feet. "Why didn't you tell me where you where? The Order could have had you! A _Noah_ could have found you!"

"A Noah did find me."

"I was-! Wait…what?" Alma gaped. Noah? Seriously?

"It's complicated." Kanda said and he stared hard into Alma's eyes. "I don't know the full story yet but that's not important right now."

"Oh?" Alma asked and he noticed for the first time how ragged Kanda looked. What had he been doing? His hair was tangled, his shirt was torn and there was trace amounts of blood on his shirt and arms.

"It's not mine." Kanda grumbled as he followed Alma's gaze.

"Well that's good."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Whose is it?"

"Alma, can you set a broken leg?" Kanda suddenly asked and Alma was taken aback.

"I…I think that I," Alma started but then the meaning of Kanda's question hit him and he narrowed his eyes. "Kanda, where is Allen?" Kanda 'che'ed and he stuck his hands in his pockets as haughtily as possible. Alma's heart sank. Sure, he knew that Kanda was violent but there was no way he would break Allen's leg! Was there? "Kanda, how was Allen's leg broken?"

"I don't know. I was asleep at the time."

"A…Asleep?" Alma felt as though he was at the end of a joke that wasn't funny in the slightest. While he had been running around all night Kanda had been _sleeping_? He opened his mouth indignantly but Kanda hissed and cracked his knuckles.

"It's complicated. Look, can you set a broken leg or not?" Kanda demanded harshly.

"Yes, I can." For several weeks now, Alma had been hanging around the hospital and he had been unofficially giving the job of 'doctor's assistant' since they were low on staff. Learning to set a broken limb was the first thing he had done.

"Good. Neah said that the door would break in an hour so we should-"

"Who the hell is Neah?" Alma asked, momentarily forgetting to be angry.

"Alma, that's not important right now."

"Is that even a name? Neah. That sounds like something you'd say when you're pissed. Neeeeeeaaaaah."

"Alma." Kanda warned. Alma raised his hands in a gesture of defeat and Kanda snorted. "We need to get going. Like I was saying, The Ark door will be breaking soon."

"Ark?"

"Later, Alma." Kanda growled. He turned on his heel and stalked off the way he had come, Alma following carefully behind. Alma was reluctantly silent as he scrabbled over ruble and under tiny doorways. As far as Alma knew, the Ark was something that only Allen could create so why would this 'Neah' person be involved? Who was Neah? Alma snorted through his nose and glared at the back of Kanda's head but the samurai ignored him and kept on walking until they reached the Ark.

It was a large wall of white light was plastered against the side of a building that had probably once been a theater of some sort. Alma gasped as it came into view and his pace slowed to a crawl. The Ark door was unearthly beautiful, more so than Alma had remembered it as. Kanda hissed in irritation and he grabbed Alma by the arm before hauling him into the gate. Alma had to screw up his eyes as they entered the light and he tripped and stumble when he got to the other side, only managing to stay upright by clinging tighter to Kanda.

XXX

Kanda had hauled Alma through the Ark without speaking and Alma was too stunned to try. The Ark… he had never seen the inside of it before and it was stunning. For starters, where was it? Was it a portal to another dimension or did is sit in the boundaries between dimensions? Did it even have a physical presence in the real world? It was incredibly old whoever, whatever, had created it must have had a power beyond Alma's comprehension.

Alma stared up at the bright blue sky far above them and he squinted up at some things that might have been birds when Kanda came to a sudden stop and Alma almost fell over once more. "Hey!" He protested but Kanda just gave him a disdainful look.

"There," He grumbled and he pointed at a large sat of doors. "Allen's in there." Alma looked at the doors and he felt a strange sense of dread at the pit of his stomach. It took him a second to realize that the feeling was fear. Alma was frightened about when lay behind those innocent looking doors. He felt slightly ashamed as he looked to Kanda for comfort and noticed for the first time that Mugen II was missing from Kanda's side. Alma furrowed his brow and frowned, Kanda was _never_ without a katana!

"Che." Kanda snorted and he grabbed Alma by the upper arm and hauled him to the door.

"K-Kanda!" Alma protested but it was too late, the doors were cast open and Alma was pushed inside. Kanda crowded in after him and the doors slammed shut.

"Oh, it's you." A voice in muttered and Alma squinted in the dim light to see who it was. The person sounded like the older Allen, only slightly deeper and far more melodic. "I thought you might not make it back."

"Thought or hoped?" Kanda challenged and the voice snorted in disgust. "Turn on a light." Kanda demanded as he took a step forward. Not wanting to lose him, Alma grabbed his sleeve and stumbled forward as well. A second later the lights flickered on and Alma had to scrunch up his eyes as they adjusted to the change.

"So I take it you can help, then?" The voice- who Alma had realized must have been Neah- asked.

"I can try." Alma said reluctantly and he blinked his eyes and finally regained the ability of sight. He noticed that they were in a child's room. It was messy and it looked human, a stark contrast to the rest of the Ark so much so that Alma wondered if they were even still on it. Neah was standing in front of the bed wearing a smirk with his hands on his hips. Alma's gaze latched onto the disfiguring scar that had presumably ruined his left eye and he dropped Kanda's arm and took a step back, acutely aware of the closed door behind him.

Neah's gaze was piercing; even his blind eye was giving him an intense stare. Alma was paralyzed and he could have sworn that he saw something almost animalistic flicker in his bad eye, like a basilisk. Finally, Neah looked to Kanda but not before Alma had seen a look of mild distain in Neah's gray eyes and his cheeks burned. He was unsure as to whether he should be humiliated or angry so he went with confused. He noticed the Neah's clothes were torn and filled with puncture marks with fresh blood around the edges, however, the skin underneath was smooth and unmarred. Alma blinked in bafflement before he shrugged the feeling off.

"Well?" Kanda demanded and there was an edge to his voice. Neah shrugged and turned his gaze back to Alma.

"Come here, kid." Neah said. It felt odd to Alma to be called 'kid' by someone who looked to be the same age as he and he glanced at Kanda for reassurance however Kanda was looking forward with his jaw tight. "I said, _come here_." Neah growled and Alma took a reluctant step forward, then another, until he was standing before Neah.

"I was told that I…" Alma muttered and he looked away from Neah's face. He heard Neah make a disapproving noise but he still did not look up.

"Can you set a broken leg?" Neah demanded and Alma nodded. Neah's expression softened for a second and he looked relieved but only Kanda caught it as Alma was still looking at the ground.

Kanda glared at Neah with more intensity as doubt flickered in the back of his mind. He had never thought that a Noah was capable of caring for a human; in fact he _knew_ that a Noah couldn't. So why would Neah make such an expression? Kanda didn't know and he didn't really want to find out either.

Neah finally sidestepped out of Alma's vision and Alma got his first look at the mini-Allen lying on the bed and he took a step back. Allen was in a light slumber but his face was crinkled in pain and Alma didn't blame him. He was in a terrible condition.

Allen's shirt had been cut open and his pale torso was on display. There were massive black bruises across his rib cage and on his chest and judging by Allen's ragged, shallow breathing, there must have been some damage to his lungs as well. Even as Alma watched, Allen whimpered and some blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth and Neah wiped it away with his sleeve. But the worst part of it was Allen's leg.

"He should be at a hospital!" Alma cried out. The bones in Allen's leg had been twisted apart and they had punctured the skin in different places. The grayish bones made sharp points and the skin had been horribly mutilated when they had pulled out. Luckily, the wounds were no longer bleeding but Alma believed that the break was beyond his skills to repair.

Alma's head snapped up and he glared at Neah, who was regarding him coldly. "That," Neah said in a voice that made even Kanda's skin crawl, "Would be incredibly stupid and dangerous. The rest of the Noah have their own Ark, I have no way of knowing where they are and what they could be doing." Neah looked furious but Alma wasn't sure where that rage was directed.

"Sorry." He muttered just to be safe but Neah's gaze did not lighten. Neah took a step back and he bent down on the other side of Allen's bed and out of Alma's sight. When he came up again he had a large metal box in each hand which he held out to Alma.

"These are all the medical supplies I could find. Fix. Allen's. Leg." Neah said in the same cold tone. Alma gulped before he took the boxes. He shot Kanda a glance out of the corner of his eye before walking to the edge of Allen's bed and rolling up his sleeves.

"Why don't you use dark matter?" Kanda asked and Neah and Alma both looked at him. "To fix him. You've done that before."

"Because it would kill him, he's too weak right now." Neah said simply before he looked down at Alma and gestured for him to get a move on with it. Without any other option, Alma complied.

XXX

Several hours earlier

"No fucking way. Why are _you_ here?" Neah demanded. All exhaustion had evaporated and he was left with an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had got to his feet and backed up until he was right against his piano.

"Aww, that's sooooooo mean Neah-chan!" Road cooed as she walked easily into his room. "You left the door open, Neah~! Anyone can get in if they know what they're looking for!"

"Get out of here!" Neah snarled and his eyes flickered around the room. Before his death, he was much stronger than Road, despite the fact that she was the 1st. Hell; he had even spared her life! Part of Neah wondered if she had turned out so deranged because of that. She had been such a young girl, her Noah had just awoken and she believed that she had found a family when Neah had destroyed it all right before her eyes. That was bound to leave some deep emotional scars.

"What do you want?" Neah asked cautiously and his heart sank when he saw her smirk.

"You should know, Neah-chan! I'm taking you to see the Earl," Road purred and she scampered forward until the only things between the two of them were a couch and the unconscious Kanda. Not exactly the shield Neah would have liked.

"Well, you see, the thing about that is I really don't want to." Neah said and his hand moved back to touch the keys of the piano. A second later the two of them were in a dark world with toys and candles suspended here and there and no musical instruments in sight. It didn't really surprise him that he was now in Road's dream world but that didn't mean he had to like it. Once, Neah would have broken out without a second thought but now he was almost as weak as a normal human and trapped like a rat. Road blew him a kiss and all of the candles sharpened into points then angled at his torso.

"You don't get a choice."

"There's always a choice."

"Okay," Road puckered her lips and she sat down on one of the armchairs she had hanging around. Then her expression cleared and she giggled-a very bad sign as far as Neah was concerned. "Either you come with me whole or in a million pieces. Your choice."

"Not much of a choice is it?"Neah grumbled and the candles inched closer. "Hold up there, Road. You wouldn't want to hurt your precious Allen, would you?" Much to Neah's disappointment, Road burst out laughing.

"Neah-chan! I know that you separated from Allen; Tyki saw him wandering around and contacted me. The Earl took five seconds to figure it out. He sent Tyki after Allen and me after you and since he wasn't positive about the situation, we had to treat both of you like a full power Noah. Though, I did tell Tyki not to kill _my_ Allen."

"The Earl knows?"

"Yep~!"

"Fuck." Neah hissed. In response, a candle shot forward and clipped his shoulder. Road smiled at him like a lunatic and Neah switched into his Noah form in hopes that he might not be hurt quite so badly.

"Goodnight Fourteenth," The Ninth whispered. She raised a hand and a thousand candles shot forward. Why didn't they all drive in at once? That way it might have killed him quickly but the Ninth knew what she wanted. The candles drove into him one at a time, slowly twisting deeper into his body one after the other until he finally tosses his head back and screamed.

Neah wasn't aware of time while he was being tortured by the deranged girl. All he was aware of was the pain, Road's wild laughter, and his own off key howls. He hated the fact that he was degrading himself but he couldn't hold it in. Besides, maybe if he screamed then Road would get tired of hurting him.

She never did.

It wasn't until all the candles had been used and Neah had been reduced to a bloody and twitching mass that they finally left the dream world. Neah crumpled before his piano and Road sat down on Kanda's back, regarding him coldly in her human form. "You know," She said as Neah's convulsions started to slow. "I've always hated you, even before you betrayed us. You're wrong. The Fourteenth shouldn't be called the Musician; you're just a nasty, little Traitor. I was scared of you the first time I saw you, did you know that? I can control all the other Noah but not you. Why is that?"

"You," Neah gasped as he tried to uncurl from the ball he had formed. "You are so…powerful…so much more…than…the Earl. Why…do you serve…him?"

"This isn't about me. This is about you." Road snarled. She got to her feet and strode to Neah's crumpled form and kicked it over so she could look down at his face.

"Uhhh," Neah moaned and his chest heaved. "If you hate…me then…what abo…ut Allen?"

"I don't hate Allen. When I found out that he was you, I was torn up. I was so happy that he was like me but I knew that you would overpower him. But you fixed that for me, didn't you? You separated bodies instead of fusing souls so now I can love Allen and destroy you. I have plans for Allen. I'll restore everything you took from him then make him into a new Noah."

"New…Noah?" Neah repeated incredulously as he stared up and Road. "You can do that?"

"Sure I can. Easily." Road smirked. She bent down and whispered into his ear, "I can make him the Fifteenth Noah. I can pour our clan's powers into him and once he matches up with a memory we'll be all set."

"You want him to have to wage constant war for his body with a monster? That's what you call love?"

"No, silly." Road giggled and she sat up again. "I'll turn _him_ into a Noah, not just put another Noah inside him! Just like you did to yourself?"

"Did to me?" Neah repeated and he scrunched up his face. "What?" But Road did not say anything. Instead she just ran a finger down his scared face before standing up.

"Please just die already, Neah-chan." She said and one of her hands slipped into her pockets.

"Wait, Road, what the hell do you mean?" Neah shouted and Road took a step back. He pushed himself up as best he could and stared at her in confusion.

"By Neah." She said softly and it almost seemed as though she were about to start crying. Her hand started to withdraw from her pockets but then she stopped and frowned. A second later, a woman's voice boomed around them, singing a melody Neah had written before he became a Noah. Neah was still slightly delirious with pain and his thoughts drifted back to one of the last people he had talked to before his death. A girl he had been best friend's with as a child and who he had loved like a sister.

"_Can you do me a favor?" Neah asked and she frowned. _

"_Maybe. What kind of favor?" She demanded. Neah laughed ruefully and she pursued her lips. _

"_I need you, er, I want you to please, _please_, take a fragment of my soul." Whatever she had been expecting, it had not been that and she dropped the breadknife with a resounding clang. Neah leaned over the counter with a serious look in his brown eyes. She was balking, understandably and he still wasn't sure how to handle it despite thinking about it for days. _

"_Neah, your soul? Are you… Oh, Neah! What have you gotten yourself into?" She demanded and she took a step back in her kitchen and fumbled for a chair. Finding one, she sat down heavily. "Dying?" She said the word like it was poisonous. Neah straightened up and walked around the counter so that he was standing in front of her. _

"_I'm running out of time and I need help from people I can trust or everything I've done until now will be for nothing! Please!" Neah begged and tears of desperation welled up in the corner of his eyes and he hated that. He hadn't cried since he was a little kid and he would be damned if he would cry now. _

"_Oh, Neah!" She protested and she pulled him towards her. She tucked his head against her neck awkwardly as he was much taller than she. Neah was still stubbornly refusing to break down but the impact of everything that he had done since joining the Earl sank in and he hugged her. She held him while he cried for the first time in many years. "I'll take your soul and I would die defending it." She said as he calmed down after only a couple of minutes. _

"_Please don't." Neah said as he drew back. _

"_I won't if you don't." She challenged and Neah snorted. "Mind telling me what that was about?" She asked as Neah rubbed his eyes. _

"_I…" he trailed off then he looked her hard in the eye. "I'm scared of dying. I don't know what will happen to me because of the Noah. I think I can come back but I don't know if I'll still be me so I have to take precautions." _

"_Who else would you be?"_

"_The new host."_

"…_Oh." _

"_Yeah." They stood in silence for a few moments before she tossed her head and her butterfly hair clip caught in the sunlight and burned crimson._

"_A new host?" She repeated and the sound of crows drifted in from the open window. Neah looked outside at the fields of golden wheat and noticed the birds sitting on top of the scarecrow, completely unafraid. Part of him envied the birds, oh to live a simple life! _

"_It's not like I want to." Neah grumbled. He rubbed his eyes again and sniffled to try to hide any and all evidence of his momentary meltdown. "In fact, I hate the idea. But someone has to bring down the Earl and take his place. If it's not me then who else? Who would _want_ to?"_

"_You don't?" She asked him with narrowed eyes and he huffed. _

"_Are you kidding? Being immortal would suck!"_

"_So why…?"_

"_Between the two choices I think it's obvious what I have to do." Neah said with a sense of finality. _

"_So what is this will thing you want me to take?" She asked as she started to cut up the bread again. It was painfully obvious that she just wanted to change the subject but Neah didn't protest. _

"_You know that song I always sang when we were kids?"_

"_The gibberish one?"_

"_It's Italian!" Neah protested and she smirked at him. "Yeah, it's that one." _

"_What about it?"_

"_I need you to take that song from my memories."_

"_Eh?" She asked and she handed him a piece of bread which he promptly stuffed down his throat. "And how would I go about doing that?"She looked doubtful and Neah gave her a sheepish smile before he closed his eyes. He felt deep inside his soul and gripped that song- his inspiration, his feelings, the words, the beat, and he drew them up and out. Neah felt something rise in the back of his throat and he put a hand over his mouth and coughed up the memory fragment. _

"_Yuck!" She reeled as Neah held out his hand. On his palm there was a glowing, green object that looked vaguely like innocents. "That's how you remove a soul?"_

"_Glamorous, isn't it?"_

"_I'll say." She grumbled._

"_Take it." Neah said and she looked at his hand with revulsion. "Please?" Her lips drew back but she reached out and picked it up with her fingertips and held it away from her body. _

"_Now what?" She asked and Neah smiled weakly. _

"_Swallow it. I know it's gross!" He said quickly and he took a step back as she looked ready to cram it back down his throat. "That's a fragment of my soul, it can keep you safe from akuma and it's not Innocence so the Earl and the Black Order will not bother you. But the only way it can keep you safe is if you absorb it and this way I know that I can retrieve it."_

"_Nasty. Can I rinse it off first?" She asked and Neah nodded. She turned away and took it outside to the well pump on the front side of the spacious house and Neah helped himself to more bread. He wondered if Mana had found any food then decided he might as well bring a loaf or two with him when he left. There was way too much food in the house as it was; it could feed a hundred villages for a year and then some. "There, I guess that's good enough." She said as she came back, door bumping her ass on the way in. She was drying off Neah's soul fragment on her apron and Neah had mixed feelings about the action. Then, without giving herself a chance to stop, she put it in her mouth and choked it down. _

_Neah went to her side and rubbed her back as her shoulders heaved. He did not want her to vomit out his soul, it was weird enough to see someone eat it. "Better?" He asked. _

"_I think it's fizzing up in my stomach." She muttered and she pressed a hand to her chest and coughed. _

"_Thanks." Neah said sincerely. "I don't think that I can ever thank you enough for what you've done." _

"_Neah," She said and she looked him in the eyes with a look that would have made even the Earl wither. "All I want is for you to be safe. Can you do that for me?" To anyone else, Neah would have smiled then said, 'yes, of course'. Hell, he had even said those exact words to Mana! But she would see through the lie and it would hurt her. He reached out his hand and brushed her hair out of her eyes, touching her hair clip in the process. _

"_Red butterflies suit you, Maria." He said and he withdrew his hand. "I promise you this; I _will_ come and retrieve that from you one day. Whether I am in this form or another it will be me. I will not lose to anyone if only to ease your mind." _

"_That's the best I'm going to get?" Maria asked. Neah kissed her on the cheek before he pushed past her and left, loaves in hand. _

Neah blinked wearily at the woman that he had last spoken to so long ago and tried to register what he was seeing. She was standing at the entrance to his room with her head back and she was singing the melody he had given her with his soul and he felt a wave of power wash over him. There was a source of his own power right next to him and he could connect with it through the song.

The wounds on his body began to steam and seal up. It was slower than Road's regenerative powers and he wasn't regaining his lost blood but it was enough. "What's this?" Road wondered and she took a step towards the corpse puppet. "Isn't that Cross's toy?" Neah was on his feet in a second and he grabbed Road by the neck. He held her back to his chest and he squeezed so hard that she couldn't even gasp.

"She's not a toy, bitch." Neah hissed and he grabbed one of her arms with his free hand and wrenched it behind her back. He glanced behind Maria to see if he could see Cross but the light was too bright. "You want to know why I spared you in the first place?" He growled but she couldn't answer. "I pitied you, you were just as scared as I had been and you didn't deserve what you got. I pitied you…and I still do." Road's eyes went wide with shock then narrowed. Her skin started to change into the ashen color of her Noah form and Neah snorted. So she wanted to fight? She would get one when hell froze over. He bent down and whispered a song in her ear.

"Hey diddle diddle,

So the cat snapped her fiddle,

And the cow died halfway to the moon,

The hellhound did whimper,

While others did simper,

And the fork?

Oh, he murdered the spoon."

He slung the unconscious Road over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and he was surprised by how light she was. She weighed even less than Allen did! Eh, whatever. He balanced her carefully and put a hand on her back to steady her. Maria had fallen silent and she stood without moving in his doorway.

"You still look good with red butterflies." Neah said as he cleared the short distance between them. When he got to her, he slipped a hand under her mask and tore it off. Her hair whipped back and her eyes stared blankly ahead like marbles. Neah smiled sadly and he held the torn fabric in his spare hand. He glanced at the butterfly before he crumpled it up and cast it to the side. "My soul?" He asked and she turned her head to look at him with unseeing eyes. Her jaw opened and he could see a glowing green sphere on her tongue. Neah frowned and he felt strangely hollow as she obeyed him, it was an action she never would have taken while in life.

But then, Maria was not alive. He didn't know how she had died but he had first seen her corpse through Allen's eyes although the truth of the matter did not register until after he had begun to awaken.

He reached into her mouth and picked out his soul fragment carefully. The fragment pulsed and a warm feeling washed over Neah. He was almost whole again- this was the last fragment of who he had once been. The first fragment of his soul had been had broken off and given to Cross, who had then put it in Timcampy, then Maria had been given a slightly larger fragment, and the rest had been given to Mana who had implanted it into his own son. Although that had technically been before he adopted Allen.

Neah withdrew his hand and stared at the green light in his hand. It was warm and beautiful, he held it for a second before the form wavered and then it shattered. The shards spun off in different directions then slowed and started spinning in the air. "Uhhh?" Neah mumbled and he lifted an eyebrow. Well this was just plain weird. Although that seemed to be the trend lately, Neah was wondering if he shouldn't just shut up and go with it; but that might spoil his fun. He almost took a step back in alarm when the green shards whirled up and twisted like smoke before they dive-bombed his chest. Instead of hurting him, they passed through his skin and he felt a surge of power.

Blood pounded in Neah's ears and his skin crawled but it was a pleasant feeling. He was finally whole! He looked up at Maria happily and he was shocked to see her skin cracking and peeling away. "M…Maria?" He asked and he reached out and took hold of her face. A second later her skin fell away like sand and her bones fell. Neah was left holding a bleached-white skull with a pile of bones and a tattered dress at his feet.

"Your soul was the only thing that held her together." Neah blinked and recomposed his face. He stared into Maria's eye sockets before he let the skull fall and land on top of the bone pile.

"I thought that was your magic," Neah said. "Speaking of which, why aren't you dead?"

"No, I only animated her. You were the one that kept her from rotting." Cross retorted. "And did you honestly think that I would be killed by _that_? I'm the only person in the world, Earl excluded, that knows magic! Faking my death was one of the easiest things I've done in years."

"Huh." Neah grunted he stepped over the pile that had once been Maria and into the hallway of the Ark so he could get a good look at Cross. When they had first met, Cross had been the teen and Neah had been a young adult so it would be a bit strange to see an adult Cross while he was in a teenage form. However, age was the last thing on his mind when he saw what Cross had in his arms. "Allen?" Neah's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. He dropped Road in his shock although he didn't think that was that bad. Not when he wanted to kill her so badly.

"Hi Neah." Allen said weakly and he waved half heartedly. He was a mess; to say the he looked like he had gone through a meat grinder would be to put it lightly.

"What happened to you?" Neah demanded before he remembered that the Earl had sent Road after him and Tyki after Allen. "Fuck." He added weakly. His legs started moving without him commanding them to and Cross smirked.

"He causes me more troubles now that he's not my apprentice." Cross joked but his eyes said something else. 'We need to talk.' Neah nodded and he looked over Allen and quickly determined that Dark Matter was not the best course of action for this one. Neah held out his arms and Cross looked down at him with an almost unreadable look. He didn't completely trust Neah and that showed in his eyes.

Allen, on the other hand, was obviously in an immense amount of pain but his eyes shown with trust and hope directed at Neah. It made him feel strangely guilty and a little pleased at the same time. Despite everything, Allen still trusted him! Although, he had lost Cross's faith and Neah couldn't help but agree with him. He was terrible. The things he had done, the people he had used…he didn't deserve Allen's trust. But he still had it.

_Get over yourself_. He scoffed to himself. He looked up at Cross's face and drew back his lips slightly. "Can you go bury Maria's bones? I can open a door to where she used to live. I think she would have liked that." He said and Cross narrowed his eyes into slits. Neah was going to force Cross to follow his will, whether he wanted to or not. Neah smiled innocently but his eyes were cold and forceful as he continued speaking, "I can take Allen. I know where all the medical supplies are and I could patch him up. I could even send Kanda off to get a doctor while try to asses everything that's been damaged. Okay?"

"Okay." Allen agreed. Cross looked angry and slightly disgusted but he still allowed Neah to take up Allen.

"Kanda's here?" Cross asked.

"Yep." Neah said and he pushed past Cross. "Better get going Cross, door forty-three is connected to Maria's house. Oh, and could you take Road out the door that you came in through? I'll destroy it in thirty minutes." Neah didn't wait for a response before he tugged open Allen's door and walked inside, pulling the door hut with his foot. The funny thing was that, even this close to the Crown Clown, Neah felt nothing. At full power, the Clown could only hurt him if it was being used as a weapon against him and that was not the case at the moment.

"We aren't going to your room?" Allen asked and Neah blinked.

"There's a bit of a mess in there." Neah said as he thought about the pool of blood and Kanda.

"Oh. That might be fun to see- Ahh ahahhhh!" Allen shouted as Neah shifted his grip and touched what felt like a broken rib.

"Oh, shit!" Neah yelped and he moved his hand away. "Sorry!"

"I'm okay."

"Bull-fucking-shit." Neah snarled and Allen winced then looked away. Neah carried him to his bed and set him down as carefully as possible. He took a step back and wiped his brow which had inexplicably become quite sweaty. "I'm not mad at you, Allen." He said gently and Allen smiled weakly.

Neah didn't know what he wanted to do so he walked to the door and pulled it open, looking just once at the semi-conscious Allen before he went out to the brilliant street. Road was gone from the middle of the street and when he got to his room, Maria's bones were gone as well. Neah took this as a good sign and he slipped into his room. Kanda still lay where he had fallen, sound asleep.

"Wake up time," Neah said in a sing-song voice as he strode across the room. He bent down next to Kanda and lifted his face of the ground by pulling up his ponytail. There were so many ways that Neah could wake him up but, in the end, Neah just backhanded Kanda as hard as he could across the face.

XXX

Hell of a way to start your morning, on all accounts.


	15. Missing the Big Picture

**Shorter than the last one but I feel that this one is necessary before I pick up the action again. :D I wrote this (the last half, anyway) while listening to 'Only in My Mind' by Imperative Reaction so you could listen to it while reading. Eh? Ehhhh? (Just a suggestion)  
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**In case you have forgotten, I still do not own D. Gray-Man. T.T**

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**Alma set the boxes of medical supplies on the chest at the foot of Allen's bed and he rifled through them until he found a selection of creams and salves, as well as materials for making a makeshift cast. He still thought that Allen needed to be in a hospital but Neah was adamant that he was not taken to one. Alma was still thoroughly confused about what the hell was going on but it was clear that no answers were to be had until Allen was repaired. "Are you ready?" Alma asked as he gathered up the supplies.

"I suppose." Neah grumbled. Distrust and worry danced across his face and it was obvious to Alma that the Noah wanted no part of either him or Kanda and it was only out of his desire to save Allen that they hadn't been killed.

"Okay, I'm going to work his bones back into place and then I'll sew the skin shut before casting it." Alma said as calmly as he could.

"Awesome." Neah sat down on the bed next to Allen's head. The boy's face was still contorted with pain and Alma noticed that he had fistfuls of blanket in each hand, clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Alma took a deep breath before he laid out his supplies and picked a small knife out of his belt. Neah regarded it warily but he allowed Alma to come close with it in hand. Alma reached out a hand and touched the wound and, much to his surprise; Allen's eyes opened and went wide.

"AGGGHHHHHH!" Allen screamed and he twisted away without registering what was going on. When he moved, the sharp bones ripped through his flesh and he threw back his head in agony. "AHHHH! GOD-FUCKING-OWWWWWWWW!"

Kanda was immediately there and he looked around desperately for some way to help while Alma just gaped in horror. Neah, always the man of action, grabbed a fistful of the blanket and rolled it up before he gagged Allen with it. Immediately Allen's cursing was muffled and he went bug eyed. He writhed for a second until his eyes focused on Neah.

"Stop." Neah ordered and Allen froze. "Your leg's broken, remember? The more you struggle the worse it will get. Calm down and try to endure it." Alma wasn't positive that was the best way to handle the situation but it worked. Allen nodded as best he could and he tried to deepen his breathing. "This is going to hurt like a bitch. Bite on this and try not to suffocate. I'm going to be right here, okay?"

"Mumph," Allen said around the blanket. Neah smiled halfheartedly and he relaxed his grip.

"It's okay if you black out." Neah said quietly and Allen tried to say something again but it was too muffled for anyone to understand. Kanda huffed and took a step away from the bed as Neah gestured for Alma to get on with it.

While Alma reset his leg, Allen was trying to distract himself with anything but it was to no avail. He was acutely aware of his bones being slipped back into his skin and then nestled into his muscles and he hated every minute of it. Most of the time, he was wavering on the edge of consciousness but some deep set instinct would not allow him to scumbag and he was starting to resent that aspect of himself. His jaw was locked so tightly around the roll of fabric that his teeth had started to hurt and he realized that he had grabbed Neah's arm and his nails were digging into his skin although Neah made no move to remove them. Neah's face was unreadable but he was staring at Allen's face intently, despite the fact that Kanda was lose and running about in the room, free to attack at any time.

"Why isn't he asleep?" Kanda hissed and Neah almost wheeled around in surprise but he stilled himself at the last moment. Launching Allen across the room was hardly a reasonable thing to do at this point in time. But when had Kanda come up behind him? "You could use a lullaby, right?"

"No, that's not how it works. I can't put people to sleep; I just deactivate higher brain functions for a period of time. It's close enough to sleep that a healthy person would not feel any difference." Neah glanced at Kanda from the corner of his eye and he noticed the samurai raise a hand to his temple in alarm. Of course, it caused no lasting harm but Neah saw no reason to tell Kanda this. "Doing that to him when he's like this… well, Allen would probably never wake up."

"So that would fall under the category of 'really bad idea', then." Alma said as he threaded a needle then went about stitching the horrible gashes shut. Neah's eyes flickered back to Alma and he snorted softly. "You okay, Allen?"

"Mmmph hnmm." Allen said but whether that was a yes or no was anyone's guess.

"Hey Kanda?" Neah said after a long silence.

"Yeah?"

"Fuck off. Go sulk in a corner or something but stop breathing down my god damn neck!" Kanda looked surprised but he quickly covered it up with an angry glare. Alma paused for a moment in the stitching to frown at the two of them but he went back to work after a pained whimper from Allen. Neah slid off the bed to glare at Kanda in a manner similar to what Kanda and Allen had done when they first met. Only now, Neah's eyes were level with Kanda's whereas back then, Allen's had been several inched lower. "Or would you rather I scrambled your brain again?"

"Is that a threat?" Kanda snarled and his hand went to where Mugen normally was before he remembered that Neah had jacked it before he left.

"Yes." Neah said smugly. "And I won't scramble just your ability to speak this time. How would you take the loss of all you motor skills? Not well, I don't doubt." This may or may not have been a reference to Kanda's worker clothes but either way it made his blood boil.

"So how would-" Kanda started but he was quickly cut off by Alma.

"I'm about to set it." He said and Allen added in some muffled grumbling sounds. Neah glared at Kanda for a second later before he jerked his head in the direction of the door and turned back to Allen. For a few seconds, Kanda considered not moving but in the end he drew back just to be out of Alma's way. "I need your help for this one, can you hold that here?" Alma asked Neah.

"Mmmmnnmh!" Allen hissed as several pieces of wood were laid against his leg then held in place by Neah.

"Okay, now lift up his leg," Alma instructed. "Like it's in traction." Neah sent Allen an apologetic glance before he lifted up his leg, tightening his grip as he did so to ensure that the bones stayed in place. It was all Allen could do to stay in place and not reel away and he shut his eyes as if the loss of sight would lessen some of the pain. Alma took up some bandages and lashed Allen's leg together tightly and quickly.

"Ih huuu!" Allen's shout was muffled and Alma tried to work even faster. That was how they were for another few minutes, Kanda lurking in the background and Allen trying not to scream while Neah and Alma worked on his leg. It wasn't until the swath of bandaged was more than two inches thick that they finally set his leg down.

"Mmrph," Allen grumbled before he tore the cloth out of his mouth and coughed. There was blood on the fabric but he decided not to worry about that at the moment. He rubbed his throat with the Crown Clown and he sat up as best he could with one leg twisted away from him at a weird angle. He panted and he felt cold without a shirt, not to mention the throbbing pain in his right leg and rib cage but at least… Allen couldn't really think of many things to be super happy about but he smiled at Alma anyway and said, "Thanks."

"You need to keep you leg like that for a while, maybe even a month until the bone has started growing back the way it should. Then you can have a smaller cast that will give you more maneuverability."

"For how long?" Allen chocked out. His throat really hurt and he looked around for a glass of water but, much to his disappointment, there were none to be had.

"Until it gets better." Alma said with a shrug.

"Allen? How do you feel?" Neah asked and Allen blinked at him before he smiled weakly.

"It hurts like a bitch but I guess that just goes with the territory." He said chirpily and Neah frowned. Immediately, Allen knew that Neah didn't buy it and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm fine. Really."

"Hm." Neah grunted. "Stay here and try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Oh yes, I _was_ planning to take a walk through the Ark and then break into the Black Order headquarters but if you think I need sleep…" Allen commented dryly. He flopped back down and managed to pull a blanket over himself while he spoke and Neah smirked. Dry humor worthy of even his approval. "Goodnight."

"Good morning." Neah said and he jerked his head at the door. Alma, who had been repackaging the boxes, nodded and the three of them left Allen's room while the resident tried to drift into a pained sleep. Alma's eyes watered when he stepped into the bright light of the town in the Ark and he wondered once again exactly where the Ark was. "Oh," Neah said and Alma looked at him but the Noah was staring up the hill. Alma and Kanda followed his gaze and quickly spotted the man at the top. "How long have you been there for?"

"You're dead." Kanda said.

"Obviously." Cross said as he took a drag on his cigarette. He was no longer wearing his Black Order uniform but he still wore lavishing black and gold clothes and his old hat. The right side of his face was covered with his red hair but there was obviously a black mask under it, presumably a replacement for his white one. "I've been here since those two came in." Cross gestured in the direction of Kanda and Alma but his eyes were on Neah. "When'd the Idiot Apprentice get the mouth?"

"Oh, that." Neah said, recalling all the curses Allen had shouted before he gagged him. "That would be my bad." Really probably shouldn't have cursed so much while in the company of a kid.

"Your habits rub off on everyone."

"Hey, hey! Who do you think got him into gambling?" Neah said indignantly and Cross snorted. There was a rather long and uncomfortable pause as Neah picked at one of the puncture marks in his shirt. He knew that an interrogation was coming and he really, _really_ was not looking forward to it. He glanced Kanda and Alma from the corner of his eye as he tried to decide what to do with them.

Sure, Alma was good with healing but Neah could find someone else. He had only needed Alma because he had no time to find someone else. Not only that but Kanda was dangerous…not someone he wanted to be involved with. It was just plain stupid to keep them around but there was no way that they would go back willingly. _Oh for the love of God. I'm at almost full power now and they don't have any Innocents! I can take 'em. _"Come on, I know a place where we can talk." Neah said with a tiny smile. Alma smiled back and nodded.

"Okay!" He said and he followed Neah quite willingly over to a closed door. Neah connected it to the first place he could think of, which happened to be New York, New York in North America. Kanda followed reluctantly and Neah thought him wise, much more so than Alma. Who willingly follows a person that basically abducted them? Cross, Neah noticed, was still standing in the same place and smoking. He probably knew what was going on but evidently agreed with Neah about getting them out of the way.

"Where does that lead?" Kanda demanded.

"A place where the Black Order doesn't have a hold and the Earl doesn't know about."

"Where exactly?" Kanda sounded incredibly skeptical and he had grabbed Alma by his elbow and was keeping him from walking blindly forward. Neah sighed as if he didn't want to get into it and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Back when I was originally alive," Neah said and he was mildly entertained by the absurdity of the comment however he kept his face dead serious. "I had a friend in New York City. He's probably dead by now but his bar had a basement that he told me I could use anytime I wanted to."

"How do you know it's still there?"

"Only one way to find out." Neah said with a grin. In reality, he had never known anyone from any of the Americas, much less been friends with them. This aside, he knew for a fact that he had opened the door into a wine cellar under a fancy restaurant. As part of the show, Neah stepped into the door and emerged in the gloomy looking cellar.

There were shelves and shelves of dusty wine and there was an open door at the top of room stairs a ways away. At the top, there appeared to be a busy kitchen but no one was in the cellar itself which was really quite fortunate. It also begged the question as to why the lights were on but who was Neah to judge? Neah glanced over his shoulder and stepped out of the way as Alma and Kanda came tumbling out of the Ark door. Before either could spot him, Neah slipped back onto the Ark and he shattered the door behind him, stranding the two of them in an unknown city without any weapons. Just to show how much of a great guy he was.

Neah dusted off his pants and looked up at Cross who still had yet to move. "I suppose I should change into something clean before we talk." Cross gave him his usual, superior look and Neah frowned at him. There had been a time when Cross had looked up to him but apparently, times changed.

"So?" Cross left the question incomplete but Neah understood the message anyway.

"The Order knows nothing, the Earl knows something, and those two knew way too much for my safety. Or Allen's. I just put them somewhere out of the way." Neah said and Cross just looked down at him irritably. "Go to the dining room, I'll meet you there after I change." Neah said. He strode up the hill and brushed past Cross, who smelled faintly of freshly turned soil, and into his bloodstained room. And to think that he had once been angry at Allen for getting crumbs in his room.

XXX

"Damn it!" Kanda yelled the second he realized that they had been duped. He punched the wall where the Ark door had been moments before. He had been so close to finding the answers to his questions! How was it that he kept letting these opportunities pass him by again and again? The people in the kitchen above evidently did not here the shout over the clamor or it was a regular occurrence for people to hear people screaming in the cellar because no one came running down to see what was going on.

"Kanda, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have trusted him." Alma said and Kanda glared at him so fiercely that he flinched away. Alma was exhausted and confused, it was unfair for Kanda to be angry at him but that didn't make him calm down at all. He punched the wall again for good measure but the only thing that came from that was bloody knuckles. "We…we could try to live here like we did in Italy…" Alma said weakly.

"No." Kanda snarled at the wall.

"But Kanda, we've been rejected! There isn't anything else we can do!" Alma tried to reason. There were still tears in the corners of his eyes and he was shaking slightly from stress. He needed to make Kanda see that it was pointless! "We aren't part of this war anymore!" Kanda exhaled loudly and when he turned around, Alma was jolted by the look of grim determination on his face.

"We _are_ a part of this war now. We're the only two people that know what's going on with Allen and his Noah and we're the only two people that can help Allen. The Fourteenth thinks so too, that's why he sent us here." Kanda said calmly, for once. He refused to think of Allen's Noah as Neah, that made him seem more human and it was easier for Kanda to loath a number.

"What do you think we should do then?" Alma demanded. "Catch a boat to England? India? Japan? Face it, Kanda, there isn't anything we can do." He shook his head and half laughed. "We don't even have Innocents! There isn't anything we can do!"

"We-I-have to try. I can't let this happen without trying to do something." Kanda said. He was completely calm and his face showed that his mind was set, with or without Alma. It was this calm determination more than anything that made Alma want to trust Kanda. Kanda only ever acted like that when he was being exceptionally stubborn and Alma knew that to try to argue with him now would be like arguing with a brick wall.

"Okay. I'll do my best as well." Alma said and Kanda looked slightly relived. "But first I need to sleep."

"Fair enough."

XXX

"Timothy! Come back here already!" Emilia shouted and she hitched up her skirts so she could run faster after the young Exorcist but Timothy had the advantage of roller skates and easily outpaced her. He had a goal in mind and no amount of needed studying could possibly detour him. He zoomed through hallway after hallway, taking the long route just to make sure that Emilia lost his trail.

His destination was Komui's room and he needed to make it there as soon as possible, before Lenalee and the rest had a chance to leave. He had a personal interest in this mission and he was going, darn it! Whether it was okay or not! He rounded the final corner and sent Johnny flying, papers and books scattering everywhere. Without pausing to even apologize, Timothy went to the doors and pushed them open, interrupting the mission briefing going on inside.

Lenalee, Lavi, and Bookman had been standing before Komui's desk and when he burst in and they all turned to look at him; Lenalee and Lavi looked surprised while Bookman was completely expressionless. Timothy's smile faded and he felt like he had swallowed a hundred cotton balls when he saw who was sitting in Komui's chair. Leverier was there, looking extremely smug with Link at his right shoulder and Komui behind his left. He felt very exposed and brash under their gaze and he almost apologized and left right then and there.

"I want to come to!" He said loudly and he glared at the room at large as if daring them to say differently. He had felt left out when they had left to find Allen the first time and now that Krory would not be joining them due to injuries sustained from one of Komui's robots Timothy had the perfect opportunity.

"What…?" Komui asked.

"I want to come on the mission to find Allen!" Timothy declared and he folded his arms across his chest.

"Timothy, its way too dangerous, we're talking about a Noah here." Komui said and Timothy balled his fists.

"But I'm an exorcist too!" Timothy protested. "And besides, I can take over his body when we find him and make him hold still!"

"Look, Tim," Lenalee said gently but she fell silent and flinched when Leverier laughed.

"The boy has a point, and he's willingly volunteered himself." The man purred and Timothy had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I order," Leverier said and he shot a triumphant look at Komui, "as a representative of the Pope that this…_exorcist _be taken on the mission to capture the Fourteenth."

"Y…yes Sir." Komui said reluctantly and he looked at the ground, barley able to suppress his rage at this latest development. Timothy had gotten what he wanted but, for some reason, there was a weird feeling of dread in him at the idea that it had been Leverier that had ordered him to go along.

After all, a happy Leverier was never a good sign.

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**Egad! **

**The last chapter didn't get that many reviews. Did you guys not like it?**


	16. Turning Point?

**So I was watching the D. Gray-Man anime for…**_**research**_** and I noticed a couple of things. **

**A lot of innocent bystanders die. O.o **

**Allen's voice is higher than most of the little kids and the women! WTF? **

**There were a lot of people involved with Neah…what gives?**

**EVERY time Timcampy was on screen, my cat smacked the T.V. **

**In episode 57, you hear Neah speaking (not as a reflection in the Piano Room) for the first, and really the only, time. He sounds all sexy-like. (In Japanese, anyway) ;P

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**

When Neah finally got to the dining room, sporting a blue shirt and brown pants, Cross had settled himself at one end of the table. Coincidently, it was the same seat that Allen had taken right before the final battle for the Ark and Neah wordlessly sat down in the spot that Tyki had once occupied. There was a long silence while Cross stared at Neah with an unreadable expression and Neah stuck out his chin and frowned. It felt like there was way too much distance between them for a conversation but there was no way he was going to move closer. That would have been akin to giving Cross the upper hand and there was no way Neah would let that happen.

"So…" Neah finally said, unable to take the silence anymore. "What have you been up to since I, you know…died?" It was quiet a good conversation started even though Neah knew exactly what Cross had been up to since his death. Cross narrowed his eyes and flicked the cigarette over his shoulder while Neah knitted his fingers together and rested his chin on them.

"I think a better question would be what have _you_ been doing since you came back." Cross said.

"Cutting straight to the chase then?" Neah leaned back in his seat and exhaled heavily through his nose. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"I think how Allen's still alive would be a good place to start."

"Well that's a rather long story…"

"There's plenty of time." Cross said as he smiled icily. He wasn't up for playing Neah's games right now and he was making sure that Neah didn't have an out. After all, the fact that he had been allowed back on the Ark was proof enough that Neah needed Cross for something and Cross had never done anything without knowing exactly what was going on. Neah ground his teeth together for a few seconds before he visibly relaxed by sheer force of will.

"The Crowned Clown," Neah said. There was no use lying, Cross knew Neah well enough to see through any lie he told. "I think that it is a key player in this war but it won't come out unless Allen is around. So I had to keep Allen alive."

"That's why, not how."

"Fine. I abducted a brain dead thirteen year old kid and implanted Allen's memories in him." Neah huffed, "Happy?"

"Hardly." Cross retorted. He tossed his head so that the hair that had fallen over his mask was flipped onto his back. "You fractured Allen's memories, didn't you?"

"Yes." Neah said and Cross looked as though he had expected as much but it still displeased him. "And you won't tell him. At least not for now." Neah said and he glared at Cross until the ex-general agreed with a nod.

"I've noticed a distinct lack of Timcampy." Cross noted in a pleasant voice but his eyes hardened. "You destroyed him?"

"Ah," Neah said sheepishly. This was one point that he had really been hoping to avoid. "You know, I just had this conversation with Allen. I think it might have been about seven or so hours ago now."

"Neah."

"Although, in his case, there was a mountain and a blizzard involved. He sort of held himself hostage to make me talk. He's really a gutsy brat, isn't he? Kind of like you where at his age. His original age, I mean, if that makes sense."

"_Neah_." Cross said and Neah clicked his tongue. "Did you or did you not destroy Timcampy?"

"I, uh…I _may_ have been involved in some tasteless…shenanigans…" Neah said weakly before he sighed and smacked his head against the table. "Yep, I destroyed it." His voice was muffled by the wood and he waited for a few seconds to make sure Cross wasn't about to kill him before he peeked up. Cross was defiantly pissed and Neah detached his face from the table with a sigh. "It gave away our location to Kanda. Tim was an inconsistent variable and I couldn't afford any more mistakes like that." Neah's face was stoic and he relayed the information almost mechanically.

Cross frowned at Neah for a few seconds before he reluctantly accepted the answer as valid. There was another long pause while the two studied each other before Cross started the conversation once more. "One thing that's been bugging me for a while is why Allen hasn't become a Fallen One? He's clearly betrayed the Black Order by joining you."

"People only fall when they betray their Innocents." Neah said carefully, "The Black Order, or the Pope, believes that the Innocents _want_ to obey the Black Order or that they are the voice of the Innocents, however this is wrong. Complete and utter bullshit."

"No wonder the Idiot Apprentice has started cursing."

"Do you want to know what I have to say or not?" Neah demanded and Cross fell silent but the amused gleam in his eyes did not disappear. Evidently he had gotten over the golem's death rather quickly. "Like I was _saying_, the Innocents are not loyal to the Black Order; they have their own agenda and each fragment has its own personality. The Crown Clown's number one priority is Allen. It's impossible for Allen to fall while wielding it because it's only desire is to be wielded by Allen." Here, Neah paused and twirled his hair between his fingers while he tried to think for how best to describe it. "That's why it sometimes attacks things it sees as an enemy even if Allen doesn't. And that's why it implanted itself in his heart after Tyki stabbed him. Because if Allen dies then it will have lost its purpose for existence."

"I've never heard of Innocents doing that." Cross said skeptically and Neah gave him a smirk and his thoughts flickered to Lenalee and Timothy, both of whom seemed to have similar traits although he highly doubted if theirs was half as devoted.

"No one understands the Innocents completely. I only think that because when I started to awaken, the Crown clown did it's best to keep me away. It didn't speak but it was easy enough to understand. I wasn't even able to take over until the Order took his Innocents away." At this, Cross looked genuinely surprised.

"They did that?"

"Man, are you behind or what?" Neah stuck out his tongue and looked to the right in a gesture that had always aggravated Cross when he was younger. "After the Earl launched his attack on the North American branch, Allen's consciousness started to lapse into mine and I was able to take over a couple times until the Earl retreated." Neah looked back a Cross with a serious expression on his face and he took in his expression before he continued. "Then Allen was put in solitary confinement for a while in which time I got close to taking over only once. He was physically weakened because he hadn't been eating, the Order had spiked his food with truth serum and his mind wasn't powerful enough to ward me off. "That time, the Crown Clown attacked and smothered me so I wouldn't be able to awaken again. Then Allen was handed over to the science division where they tried experiments to draw me out and he was allowed to 'live a normal life' in the meanwhile. It wasn't until a month after the Earl's attack that the pope decided that Allen was too dangerous to be kept around and he was sentenced to death. Fortunately for both of us, they decided to torture him first. They ripped the Crown Clown off his arm and out of his heart, giving me the perfect opportunity to take over."

Neah didn't know why he added in the extra details but he was aware of his voice getting harsher and he almost spat out the word 'torture'. He had looked down at the table at some point during speaking and he had balled up his fists. Well that was unexpected; Neah hadn't realized how pissed talking about the Order would make him.

"So you managed to get attached to him as well." Cross observed and Neah's head snapped up.

"I have not!" He said indignantly and it was Cross's turn to smirk.

"Sure, sure."

"Here's an idea Cross, either shut up or ask me another question." Neah snapped. He was not attached to Allen! He had made that mistake in his last life and Neah wasn't stupid enough to make it again. He snorted and went into 'sulk-mode', which included folding his arms and slouching so he could glower at Cross, who seemed to be struggling not to smile.

"What's you plan now?" Cross asked after he composed himself. Neah momentarily forgot that he was angry and straightened up.

"I have been trying to figure out how the Akuma-egg works so I can destroy it." He said. "It will be easier for me to attack if the Black Order has weakened the Earl a bit first and it could be a devastating blow if he could no longer make Akuma. I've also taken steps to insure that the Black Order won't get any stronger by hunting down Innocents. I haven't destroyed any of them in case one is the heart but I've hidden them in places where it will be almost impossible to find. Also…Road said some things that I don't understand. I need to look into finding out what she meant."

"My, you have been busy." Cross said absently. "So, what did Road say?"

"Eh, her usual, confusing bullshit. Something about fusing with Noahs and making new ones… It's probably nothing, she's a crazy little bitch but I still need to look into it." Neah said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Sometimes she tells half-truths so I need to make sure that there's nothing backing this one."

"You still intend to take the place of the Earl?"

"Yep." Neah said glumly.

"Would it be possible to-"

"_No_, Cross. We've discussed this before and nothing has changed. When the Earl dies, the person that killed him has to be the one to take his place. Adam must fall; it's the only way to fix things." Neah stood up and he knocked the chair back so that it grated the floor. This was dangerous territory and Neah hated discussing his plans. He had, after all, once been _loyal_ to the Earl and he really didn't want to be an immortal. However, as a Noah he was already very close to being immortal so it made sense for him to become the next Earl. "I have to become the destroyer that everyone thinks I am."

Neah closed his eyes and put a hand to his head as if he was starting to get a headache. A headache named Cross. "Do you have any more questions?" Neah asked and he slumped back into the chair which was now a good foot from the table but he did nothing to move closer. Cross shook his head and Neah smiled halfheartedly. "Awesome. My turn, then."

XXX

It was often that, for no apparent reason, Allen would feel a comforting presence. It was usually when no one else was around; it was simply warm pressure in the back of his mind. When he had been much younger, he had assumed it meant he was going mad and he was strangely okay with the idea. After all, he was an unwanted street rat. Why should it matter if he lost his mind? It wasn't as if anyone would care and Allen was growing weary of his daily reality. After he was adopted by Mana, Allen became more wary of the presence and it faded until he had almost forgotten it. For a time, he could find comfort in the presence of a parent.

After Mana's death, the presents had returned and comforted him until the appearance of the Millennium Earl. Then, the feeling became more like a warning.

Allen was never consciously aware that the presents were not a part of his own thoughts, after all to doubt one's one mind was a sure sign of decent into insanity. But was it not also insanity to be comforted by your own mind? He tried to ignore all of the feelings during his training under his Master but there were times when it was as strong as it had once been while he was a young child.

Once he joined the Order, the presence had become muddled in with the happy feelings he felt on a regular basis so he was once more able to push it out of his head. It wasn't until the run in with Tyki in China that Allen had really noticed the presents, or lack thereof. Part of him made the connection between the loss of the feeling and the loss of the Crown Clown although he now no longer recalled that incident. At that time he felt extraordinarily weak and vunerable and he had sought out his Innocents desperately.

However, the Crown Clown wanted him to understand something. Not that Allen should seek out the Akuma, that was what the curse of Mana wanted him to do. Nor did it want him to shed his humanity. The Crown Clown's goal at that time was to show Allen that he could stand on his own. Allen was strong enough to fight without it, and it wanted for Allen's personality to grow without using it as a crutch. Once Allen had resolved to fight with or without it, only then did the Crown Clown rush to his aid.

Allen twitched in his light slumber and pain lanced up his leg at the slight movement. He moaned but did not stir, so great was his exhaustion. There was nothing he could do but sleep and try to recover but even that was difficult as Allen continually lapsed in and out of conscienceless. The Crown Clown did not like this situation in the slightest and it resolved to make it's presence more imposing the next time that damned Noah was in the same room…hell, if anyone was in the same room the Crown Clown would do it's very best to make them as uncomfortable as possible. It was really the only way it could keep it's Master safe. But until then…

"Uhhahh," Allen hissed as he twitched once more, this time shifting one of his broken ribs. The Crown Clown hated it…to some extent it felt Allen's pain but that was not what bothered it. The mere fact that it's Master had been injured was grating to it, it was a sign of it's own incompetence. It only had one Master! Why should it have such a hard time protecting him? "Ughuhmmm" Allen said but this time it was a sleep noise, rather than a whimper of pain. Well, there Crown Clown was only aware of one thing it could do to make it's master stronger and so it activated itself without Allen even being aware of it.

The Crown Clown's fingers extended into sharp claws, the tips of which ended just short of Allen's calf and the cloak enveloped Allen under the blanket. Carefully, it straightened out his body to alleviate some of the pain by taking the pressure off the damaged areas. Allen's face scrunched up and he opened his eyes slowly to see who was there. His tilted his head to the side of the bed and he expected to Neah there…or maybe Cross.

But there was no one there; Allen was alone in the dark room. He was alone…like he had been for most of his early childhood. Then who was with him now? There was defiantly a presence here. Allen moved his head back so he could stare up at the ceiling and only then did he notice that his arm was in the process of activating itself.

"So…it was…you the…whole time…huh?" Allen murmured as the mask settled under his chin and his hair spiked to match Neah's. "You…were…the one that…watched over me…weren't…you? Even…when…I was…little." The Crown Clown radiated affection and Allen smiled. He wasn't fully awake but he wasn't asleep either. It was in this state where the human mind becomes frayed and malleable that Allen realized exactly what had watched over him all his life and now that he knew it, he felt stupid for not realizing it a long time ago. The one thing that had been with him since birth…the reason he had been rejected by the world until he met Mana, it had always been the Crown Clown.

Allen let the mask slip over his face and he was surprised by how nice it felt. It was cool to the touch but comforting at the same time. The Crown Clown pushed Allen fully into unconsciousness, much to his gratitude. For now, at least, it's Master was safe from pain and nightmares and that pleased it to no end.

XXX

Neah was slumped in the chair and he pulled himself into a more or less upright position before he scooted closer to the table. He still thought that there was too much distance between them but he was still, and always would be, too stubborn to do anything about it. Cross was staring at him mildly and Neah smiled cheerfully.

"What do you want to know?" Cross asked and Neah leaned forward and rested his chin in the palm of one of his hands.

"Well…I was sort of wondering how it's possible to survive a bullet to the face." Neah said sweetly and Cross lifted an eyebrow.

"Because I stopped it with magic."

"That's it? That's all I get? Come on, Cross-chan~! Spill!" Neah whined. "At least tell me who tried to kill you."

"An agent of Central."

"Any name?"

"Just an assassin."

"Details?"

"He was wearing black and there was a mask over his face."

"Defiantly male?"

"Probably male."

"I've met dead toads that were more descriptive than you." Neah sighed irritably and he ran a hand through his hair. "So, you were attacked by someone whose face you didn't see, yet you know for a fact that 'he' was from Central and you were shot in the face. Only you stopped the bullet from hitting you with magic." It was an unlikely story but Neah had done some even more unlikely things in his life. Except, in Neah's case, he was always quite willing to tell everyone about it. "Alright so, the blood and the hole in your mask?"

"Obviously, I let the bullet hit the mask and scratch my forehead although most of that blood was artificially made."

"By magic?"

"By magic."

"Alrighty then." Neah said. "What then?"

"I played dead until the guards came in to check on me. After they left, I smashed the window and fled."

"There was a sheer drop outside your window."

"Yeah."

"And there was an ocean…with lots of sharp rocks."

"I can swim." Cross said and Neah glared at him.

"I should just accept that as a valid answer but I really don't want to." Neah grumbled under his breath and Cross gave no indication of having head. "And, this entire thing was made possible because you know magic."

"Yes." Cross said. His face didn't show it but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Neah was really bringing up Cross's ability to perform magic quite a bit and Cross was beginning to get an idea as to why Neah let him back on the Ark.

"So magic really is quite a useful thing. Especially because only you and the Earl know how to use it." Neah purred.

"That we know of."

"Yes, yes, of course. But it would be a pity if you had actually died…then the Earl would be the only one in the entire world that knew how to use magic! That would be quite a dreadful thing." Neah said with a smirk that Cross knew all too well.

"I'm not teaching you magic!" Cross snapped in much the same way he had when Neah had asked him while Cross was still a teenager. His reasons since back then were the same as they had been as well. There had always been few mages in the world, fewer than there were Bookman. Cross and the Earl both had never told Neah the reason for all the secrecy but he knew that the ability was ancient. He also understood that its very existence was a heavily guarded secret and the practitioners were very exclusive when they chose a predecessor.

"Relax, Cross. I don't have the time or energy to learn how to use magic." Neah said calmly. His face was devoid of any emotion aside from mild amusement. "I want you to teach Allen how to use magic."

Dead silence.

Cross blinked a couple times to try to cover his surprise and failed miserably. "No," he finally said. "That would be the same as teaching you."

"Cross-"

"You've already said that you're planning on using him so why should I give you one more reason to?"

"Because it would keep him safe. I can't watch him all the time and he could be attacked again, just like today." Neah said softly but he had Cross's undivided attention. "I don't know if you picked him up because you knew he was me or if it really was because you saw that he had Innocents but I do know for a fact that you care about him, probably more than you ever cared about me. He's the only apprentice you've ever had why not teach him everything you know?"

"That doesn't change the fact that you plan to use him."

"Not true. I just need the Crown Clown. What Allen can and can't do is of less relevance to me."

"There's hardly any difference." Cross said and he withdrew another cigarette and stuck it into his mouth but didn't bother to light it.

"Cross, do you really want Adam to be the last person that knows how to use magic?" Neah snarled. Cross puffed out his cheeks and Neah took this as a good sign. "And don't give me that, 'he isn't the right person' crap. He acts exactly the way you did at that age."

"No he doesn't."

"I lived inside his head and I can tell you for a fact that yes he does. The resemblance is scary."

"We are nothing alike." Cross denied and Neah leaned over the table slyly.

"He's only, was only, fifteen-ish and he already has packs of women that love him, he's just as naïve as you were at that age, and he's already an expert gambler! The biggest difference is the hair color!" Neah said smugly. Especially because everything he had said was undeniably true and Cross knew it. "Cross," Neah pleaded and all traces of humor evaporated. "Please."

There was another long pause while Cross studied Neah carefully before he finally and reluctantly said, "Fine."

"Great!" Neah said and he sat back in relief. "I knew I could count on you!" He cracked a grin that was so wide that his eyes were forced shut. "Saves me the time of finding a babysitter too."

"What?"

"I've got to go, make yourself at home, though. Oh, and Allen knows how to work the Ark too if you ever need anything." Neah said happily as he got out of his seat. "I doubt he would lock you out either if he got pissed. So you can treat him as harshly as you want so long as you don't make his leg any worse than it already is."

"Wait!" Cross said and he stood up but Neah was already at the door.

"If you get bored, there's a massive bloodstain in my room that you could clean."

"Neah!"

"Oh, and don't bother Allen until he's had some time to rest, okay? Bye now!" Neah called over his shoulder. "I'll be back in a couple hours!" And with that, Neah was gone.

* * *

**How do you guys say 'Neah'? I've always said Nu-eh. **


	17. Losing Control

**Road…I've heard she's the First and I've heard she's the Ninth Noah. Or it could be that she's the Ninth but she was the first Noah in this generation to awaken. But for the sake of my story, she's the First. Okay~? (Apparently, the Earl is the First. O.o Unless the D. Gray-Man wiki lied to me.) **

**Annnnnd, I've realized that….Neah is basically an OC isn't he? :/ I invented his personality and appearance but I guess as long as he's believable its fine. Right? I'm trying my best not to make him super over powered or 'perfect'. Least he become the dreaded Mary Sue *gasp* (Gary Stu?)

* * *

**

"So, where are we going?" Timothy asked as they filled onto the train. He was embarrassed that Lenalee had grabbed his hand but he was pretty sure that he would get lost in the thrush of bodies if she hadn't.

"We're researching Allen's past." Lavi explained and Timothy had to crane his neck around to look at the Bookman apprentice who was standing behind him. Timothy noticed that Bookman hadn't grabbed _his_ hand with some resentment. "Last time we only found the place where his foster-father had been buried but we're hoping if we follow further back then we could find out more about how the Fourteenth relates to him. We also want to know all the places he traveled to with General Cross." Timothy started to say something but Lenalee tugged him along and he concentrated on trying to keep up with her.

"We don't know much about the Fourteenth either," Lenalee said. "So any information we can find on him is of upmost importance."

"O…okay." Timothy said and he stared down at the blood red bangles around Lenalee's ankles. It was strange, he had always considered Allen to be his friend in a way but more and more he was finding out that Allen the less he realized he knew. It was kind of frustrating and he knew the older exorcists felt the same way. How could they have spent so much time with him and yet knew next to nothing about him or his past? Timothy wondered if Allen had a past similar to his own, they were both orphans weren't they? Maybe Allen's father had been a thief too and that was how Allen got his arm!

Timothy snickered at the thought. It was easy to put Allen in his own shoes and it was humorous to imagine Allen being yelled at to do his homework by Emilia and running around to escape nuns that wanted to wash behind his ears. Although, Timothy found he could not imagine what Allen had looked like when he was younger so he just used the image of what Allen had looked like the first time he'd seen him. This just made the image even funnier.

"In here," Lenalee said as she ushered him into a first class booth. Timothy was put against the window and she slid in next to him, leaving him enough room so that he wouldn't be cramped. Lavi took a seat opposite of Timothy, with the Bookman right beside him. Timothy wasn't sure what he should be doing so he mimicked the older boy and stared out the window but was bored by the scenery.

"What does he look like now?" Timothy asked the cabin at large and he turned away from the window. Komui had been rather brief while describing the mission, he just told them to try to gather information on both Allen and the Fourteenth starting from the place they had left off. He had left out all the details as to the condition of Timothy's partial idol, other than the fact that he had been briefly apprehended and had then escaped.

"He's…" Lenalee started and Timothy was surprised to see that she seemed to be having a hard time forming words and his face fell. Was it that terrible?

"The Fourteenth looks much the same way that Mr. Walker did." Bookman said; Lenalee hung her head and Lavi looked as though he wished that _he_ was the one sitting next to her. Timothy gave the old man his undivided attention and Bookman looked duly pleased while they both tried to ignore the raging hormones of the two teens. "In his human form at least. Except now his hair is black and spiked, he has both arms, and his cursed eye has been bandaged for some reason we are not yet aware of."

"Both arms?" Timothy wrinkled his nose. He had been in the audience when they tore off Allen's arm and he was almost certain that there was no way a wound like that could be fixed.

"The Crown Clown has recently escaped from the Order and it is believed to have gone to the Noah's aid."

"Oh." Timothy said and he felt the ghost-like form of Tsukikami appear between him and Lenalee. For a second he stiffened before he carefully looked up at his Innocents. The other exorcists could not see him and Timothy did not want to seem like a lunatic by asking questions to thin air. So he frowned and his eyes clearly asked, 'Can Innocents pair up with a Noah?' to the manifestation of his Innocents.

"I've got no idea." Tsukikami said and it touched it's finger to it's chin as it thought. "I feel sick at the thought of being anywhere near a Noah without trying to kill it but…I get the feeling that the Crown Clown plays by different rules than me. It could be possible." Timothy nodded as the train trembled and hissed before it slowly began to roll forward.

"It's going to be a long ride." Lenalee said and she reached her hand through Tsukikami and touched Timothy's shoulder gently. Tsukikami looked down at the hand in his midriff and he vanished into thin air with a comically surprised look on his face. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay." Timothy said. Lenalee smiled at him and moved her hand back to her lap but Timothy could see that she was still sad. He would have comforted her but he didn't know what to say. Instead he looked out the window and studied the movements of the people inside based on their reflections.

This was going to be a very long ride indeed.

XXX

Road was first aware of a very comfortable warmth then of her own irritation. She felt that she should be awake, that she needed to be doing something but the dark haze around her thoughts refused to disappear. One before, Road had felt a similar feeling upon waking up but that had been the day after the Fourteenth knocked her out…the day after he killed the rest of their family. Even with this in mind, Road could not bring herself to awaken.

She just had to wait for her accursed brother's ability to wear off. Honestly, he was so aggravating!

The first sense that was restored was her hearing but since no one was talking near her, this was next to useless. Slowly, her other senses began waking up until she could easily feel what was going on. She was dressed in a night gown and lying in her bed, although someone else had placed her there because Road's favorite place to sleep was actually several feet to the left. Slowly, Road blinked awake and winced at the bright light flooding in from her open window. As she had suspected, she was lying in the stuffy, Victorian style room that she used when she was not on the Ark.

"Mistress Road, I am glad that you are awake." Road turned her head and saw a black haired Akuma girl in a maid costume bowing by the door. "I shall go alert Master Earl immediately." The 'girl' hugged her tea tray to her chest and she backed out of Road's room, bowing all the way. Road sat up in her bed and swung her bare legs over the side, snorting in irritation when she noticed that she was in her 'human' form. But she couldn't shift now, not while in this house.

Road stepped lightly down from her bed and she had to catch herself on the bed pole to keep herself from falling over. Normally, she would have just stayed put but the Earl was coming and she needed to wear something cute, the night gown she was in was hot pink and it made her skin look sallow and drawn.

She hobbled to her closet and pulled off her gown as quickly as possible before she slipped into a white blouse and a purple skirt. She was still in the process of buckling her boots when the Earl walked in, in his human form. "Millennie!" She shouted happily and she stood up with only one shoe on. She had fully recovered by this point so she had no troubles running across the room, grabbing the Earl around his neck, and hugging him tightly.

"Good evening, Road," He said happily and he hugged her back. "I'm glad you're alright." He walked into the room with her still around his neck and the maid that had been there when Road woke up close the door and stepped to one side. She would wait until she was called or given orders by any of the Noah but stay put in the meanwhile. Just as servants should. "I thought I told you not to fight him?" The Earl said and Road rubbed her cheek against his whiskers.

"Aww, but he was really weak!" She pouted.

"Is that why you lost?"

"He cheated!"

"By putting you to sleep?" The Earl set Road down on her bed and sat down next to her. "You're lucky to still be alive. I don't know if he'd let you live the third time." Road drew her knees up to her chest and stared at the floor.

"I won't let him beat me a third time. The third time we meet, I'll kill him." She said then she broke into a wide grin. "You shouldn't worry about me, Earl~! Oh, what happened to Tyki?" She asked then her eyes widened in excitement and she jumped off her bed. "Did he find Allen? Is he here now? I want to see him~!" Road crossed her arms over her body and twirled around in excitement.

"Road," The Earl said and her face fell. His tone wasn't good.

"They're…both okay, right?" She asked. Road loved them both but if one of them was dead even she didn't know what she would do to the survivor.

"They're fine as far as I'm aware. Allen managed to get away. Tyki was the one who found you after The Fourteenth dumped you."

"How did Allen get away?" Road cocked her head to one side and she knitted her fingers together behind her back.

"Would you like Tyki to explain this to you?"

"_No!"_ Road shouted and she grabbed the Earl's arm before he had the chance to stand. "I'm kind of angry at him right now. Can't you tell me, Millennie?" The Earl studied her face for a second before he nodded and gestured for her to sit next to him. Overjoyed, Road sat down and gave him her cutest smile.

"You know how Tyki said that Allen had become younger?"

"Yep~! I bet he looks adorable!"

"Apparently, he has lost his memories as well." A look of confusion played across Road's face and she scrunched up her eyebrows. "He didn't recognize Tyki and he didn't seem to know very much about who the Noah are."

"Did…The Fourteenth? Did he take Allen's memories?"

"It would seem so." Another tally in the 'reasons to hate Neah' column. "Apparently, Tyki hurt Allen a bit but before he could erm, '_finish him off'_ he disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"We believe that The Fourteenth may have had something to do with it. In the past, he had a similar ability." The Earl explained.

"Oh." Road smiled. Then she recalled something that the Earl had said moments before and her face hardened. "Tyki hurt Allen? How?"

"He…punched Allen through a building. I believe his leg was badly broken and there was damage to his torso as well. From what I understand, Allen coughed up some blood."

"By 'finish him off', did you mean…?" The look on the Earl's face was the only answer she needed and Road got to her feet with an angry look on her face. "Where is he?" She demanded.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" Road snapped and she stalked to the door. The Akuma maid opened it as quickly as possible which was unfortunate, really. Road needed to destroy something right now. "I told him not to hurt _my_ Allen!" She snarled as she vanished out the door, radiating an aura of pure malice. The Earl sighed and slowly followed her out. He had thought that Road had merely wanted Allen as a doll but it was quickly becoming apparent that she really did love him. Well, The Earl felt sorry for Tyki, anyway.

XXX

Neah landed in the dead garden with a soft 'thump' and he quickly flattened himself onto the ground. The Ark door shattered behind him and splinters of light flew away above his head before fading into nothingness. Very few things could give away one's location so spectacularly. More unfortunately, he had managed to land on a very spiky weed and it pricked him but he dared not move in case someone had spotted him. It was unlikely, this place had been Mana and Neah's home growing up, their parents and Maria had been the only people that knew the exact location. Now Neah was the only one left and he certainly had never told anyone.

He held his breath and listened carefully but all he heard was the wind rattling dead trees. He dug his fingers into the frozen soil before he got to his feet slowly, still ready to run at a moment's notice.

There was nothing. There was no one. Neah was standing in the center of a garden of weeds, protected from the looming forest outside by a little stone wall that barely even came up to Neah's waist. In the center, there was a little stone cottage that had been almost completely covered by twisting vines. The windows had been shattered and the once-red door had almost completely twisted off its hinges. It was almost sad to Neah, seeing the place so wretched.

Mana and Neah may have never been happy in this place but it at least had been home. They had retreated here after Neah's failed attempt to take out the Earl and they had used it as a base when Neah sought out Maria. The graves of their parent's and of most of their father's family lay in a secret cemetery, far behind the house. It had been in the bloodline for a long time, although, Neah reflected, he was no longer a part of that bloodline. In this form, he had no blood relatives except for Allen's parents. Allen had a new body; the blood that had once flowed through his veins now belonged to Neah and Allen's new blood relatives were just as unknown as his original ones. Eh, whatever. Family was only who you considered to be and Neah loved his old parents.

Neah gazed at the only break in the wall, only to find that the wooden gate had rotted away long ago and the path that weaved off through the forest had become overgrown. Well that was good; no one had visited the place in a long time. Neah's face was blank, he wasn't sure how to feel being presented with this place once more but there was a wrenching feeling in his heart and it seemed safer to keep his face emotionless. If he started crying, he would just disgust himself.

He turned back to the house and picked his way through the garden. While his mother had been alive, the place would have been cut back at this time of year. The poor old woman would probably have a heart attack if she saw the state of the place now. Neah laughed at the thought of his stout, tough mother having a heart attack about anything but he immediately felt worse and he pushed the thought out of mind. When he got the door, he had to tug and pull it until the warped wood pulled apart and he was left holding half of an old red door while the other half crumbled and fell into the darkness within. Neah curled his lip at the reek of decay and he tossed the half-door to one side before he stepped into the house.

His feet led him through the dim house on instinct, he had traversed this place many times before but this was the first time that broken glass crunched under his heels as he went. He walked around squat furniture and he ducked under a doorway before he reached the room that he and Mana had once shared.

The wooden frames of their beds had given out and collapsed some time ago, although now they seemed so small that Neah could hardly believe that he had once fit into one of them. Ignoring his feelings of nostalgia, Neah crossed the room and bent down at the low desk in the back. He fumbled with the drawers until one gave way and pulled out, reveling the silver metal box inside. Neah picked up the box carefully and he held it up to his face so he could squint at the cover before he lowered his hand and walked back to the door. He cast one final glance around the room before he left the house.

Because he couldn't stand the deafening silence and the stench of decay, Neah walked to the garden wall and he sat down with his back to it before he opened the box. Within were all of the notes that he had taken while he was still learning what the Noah were, as well and his notes about bringing down Adam. There were ten yellowed pages in all, but curiously there was a folded slip of paper that Neah had never seen before. It looked to have been torn out of the corner of a book and there was a red butterfly clip holding it shut. Neah carefully lifted it out of his box and opened the barrette. He knew who had left it there but he had no idea when she had put it there so there could be any message on it.

Carefully he opened it and stared down at the words, '_Neah, you're an idiot and a jackass'_

"Thanks Maria, I love you too." He snapped irritably at the slip of paper. It was unhelpful and he could tell that she had been furious based on how sloppy her hand writing was but the reason for her anger was beyond him at this point in time. His first instinct was to crumple the insult into a ball and toss it into the forest but that made his heart ache. This was a part of who Maria had been and insult or no he would not let it slip from his fingers. As he folded the paper up again, he caught sight of some tiny words on the back and he flipped it over.

'_Why did you die and leave all of us behind?' _

"Damn it, we talked about this already." Neah said and the heavy feeling intensified making him feel pathetic and weak. How could he still be suffering from these kinds of feelings? "I came back, like I promised. You were the one that died and left Cross behind. And me." He slipped the paper and the barrette into his breast pocket. He wasn't positive what he would do with them but he didn't want Allen or Cross to find out he had them.

XXX

The papers had turned up useless and Neah had taken pleasure in destroying them. Most of them he had written back when he was loyal to the Earl and so they had held nothing but propaganda that had been spoon fed to him. The last three contained his plans to destroy the Earl but they were cryptic and held little information. When writing them, he had been afraid that another Noah might find them and, although they were written in his 'secret code' they might be able to decipher them. He had picked them up in hopes that they might contain some helpful information to jostle his memory but, as per usual, his hopes had been dashed.

Neah stood up on shaky legs and he grit his teeth. This was just perfect. He clenched his fists for a second before he felt something deep within him snap and they went limp. Neah stood stalk still for a moment before he whirled around and kicked the garden wall with a ferocity that startled even him. But he didn't stop.

It took him a second to realize that tears were streaming down his cheeks and he drew back his lips into a snarl. "Damn it!" He spat and he finally knocked over the segment of wall. Then he turned on the house.

With the desperation of a madman, Neah smashed the furniture and ripped apart all the lose appendages on the walls. He ripped and tore until the ruined house came crushing down around him and a plume of dust rose. In the center of the ruble and with gray dust covering his clothes, Neah smiled. Then he threw back his head and let out a deranged, screeching laughter that distorted as it echoed off the trees until it sounded like a monster's roar. "Happy now, Dad?" He shouted up at the sky. "No one will ever live in this house outside of our-_your_- bloodline! No one will ever live here again!" Neah's voice cracked and he shouted so loudly that his throat stung.

His knees gave way as his sudden burst of insanity flared out and he collapsed to the ground, just barely managing to stay in a sitting position. "Fuck." He whispered and he realized that he was still crying. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears and he just sat there, trembling as his emotions played out. He felt like he wasn't in control, like his mind wasn't his own and it was spinning out of control. _This might be close to how Allen felt when I took over. _He thought.

Finally, Neah rubbed his sleeve across his eyes and dusted off his clothes. His eyes were reddish and his voice would sound like a croak but he doubted that Cross would notice and Allen was too kind hearted to bring something like that up. Neah had lost control and he felt shame burn at his cheeks. He had just thrown a tantrum! What, was he five?

Neah summoned an Ark door and he adjusted his appearance once more. He felt his pocket to make sure Maria's things had not fallen out during his rampage and he sniffled. _Please don't let them notice that I cried _he thought before he stepped through the door without looking back.

* * *

**Neah might have been acting like a brat but…his brother's dead, his parents are dead, Maria's dead and he's been bottling up all his emotions while taking care of Allen. That kind of thing has to come out sometime. :P **


	18. Mask

**Yeah…It bothered me so I went back and changed Road to the Ninth. So ignore the Author's note at the start of the last chapter, Road is the Ninth and the Earl is the First. ^^;

* * *

**

Neah stepped back onto the Ark and shattered the door with a wave of his hand. He had emerged at the same spot he had departed from, a couple feet away from the dining room. Thankfully, Cross was nowhere in sight and Neah used this as an excuse to straighten himself out again. The skin under his eyes was slightly puffy and red, and his eyes probably still looked glassy but there was little he could do about that now. It was hardly noticeable! He hoped.

"Cross!" He bellowed, satisfied with his appearance. "I'm back!" Neah looked up and down the road but there was no one in sight. "God damn little…" He grumbled under his breath and he stalked off in a likely direction. Cross was really never around when people needed to find him, was he? The Ark was big, yes, but Cross only knew a small segment of the grand total and Neah doubted that the man would wander off and get lost. Not when he had a bone to pick with Neah.

So, logically, Cross would wait for Neah somewhere that Neah went frequently and that he was acquainted with. And that place would be Neah's piano room. Sure enough, when Neah threw open the door as aggressively as he could, he saw Cross sitting leisurely on one of the couches, smoking and reading a book Neah assumed he had with him before hand. "You seem strangely comfortable in a room covered in _my blood_." Neah said conversationally and his eye lingered on the pool of dried blood at the base of his piano.

"Is that so?" Cross mused without looking up. Neah frowned at him but decided that striking up a conversation wasn't a choice action at this point in time. He had a nagging guilt in the back of his mind and that needed to be dealt with.

"Whatever. I'm going to check on Allen." Neah said. Cross glanced up but by that point, Neah had already turned on his heel and walked out, door clicking shut behind him. Slowly, Cross closed his book and stood up before silently following the Noah out, although he dragged behind a bit. They still were not, and at this rate would never be, on good terms. Cross was suspicious of his former friend's motives and Neah was exasperated with Cross so walking side by side was out of the question. Both males were far too stubborn to admit that they might possibly be wrong no matter what. Even if they both wanted to.

When they got to it, Neah reached out for the door to Allen's room but he jerked his hand back before he could even touch it. "What the?" Neah raised his fingers and he saw a small, red welt, much like the mark of a whip, rising. It had felt like the metal had shocked him but static would not cause him any pain or leave a mark on his skin. Neah blinked a couple of times before he looked over his shoulder at Cross, who also looked surprised. "I take it this isn't your fault then." Neah observed. He wiped his hand off on his pants before he glared at the door.

Then it hit him, the one thing (one of many things, actually) that hated him and could hurt him. The one thing that loved Allen more than anything else. The Crown Clown. "Shit." Neah hissed and he took a step back.

"What?"

"It's that damn Innocents. I can't get in without it burning me." Neah snapped. "Either I kick the door down and hope I don't get burned _or_ you open it." There was a pause as Neah's aggression faded and he looked at Cross expectantly. "I don't want to be burned, Cross." He added helpfully. Cross lifted his eyebrows in an expression that clearly said 'yeah? Well I don't want to be burned either.'

"Noah." Neah said and he dug his thumb into his clavicle. "Innocents." He pointed rather aggressively at the direction of the door. There really was no point in arguing that point as it was clear that Neah was right no matter how much Cross wanted to disagree with him. With a small frown, Cross reached forward and touched the door handle. Neon green sparks fluttered out from the metal but Cross himself was unharmed. They exchanged a glance before Cross pulled the door open.

Air burst out as if the room had been sealed for centauries and not hours, it made Cross's hair whip back and he held an arm over his eyes. Neah stumbled back and doubled over as a wave of nausea threatened to overpower him. The desire the destroy Innocents peaked and he felt himself slip into his Noah form. _Their synchronization rate has gone up again!_ Neah realized and he put a hand to his temple while he fought back his destructive desires. He really wanted to destroy the Crown Clown but he could not, would not, harm Allen. "What's going on in there?" He demanded as he recovered, although he remained in his Noah form.

Cross lowered his arm as the wind died down and he peered almost cautiously into the dark room. "The Crowned Clown is activated…but Allen is asleep." He reported and then he looked back at Neah, who was panting slightly. The mutilated eye seemed to be glowing slightly and Cross's gaze lingered on it for a second. "Are you alright?"

"I'm still standing so that's a start." Neah said although his voice had lost its musical tone and he missed the almost sympathetic glance Cross shot him. He staggered forwards and he slumped against the doorway looking in. "You know, most people slowly get stronger as they go. Allen? He randomly gets an insane amount of power for no apparent reason in bursts. It would be far less of a hassle if he would just conform to the mold for once."

"I can't imagine where he gets it from."

"I know you're implying something but I don't have time to figure out if I'm going to be insulted." Neah sorted without malice. "Get in there and wake him up. Make him deactivate his Innocents too." Neah made a tiny noise in the back of his throat and he had to lean more heavily against the doorway. It was all he could do not to kill Allen or vomit. "I'm…uh; I'm going to go to my room." He said.

"Yeah." Cross agreed and Neah looked at him. He didn't know to what extent he could show gratitude so he just nodded before staggering off. Cross waited leisurely by the door until he heard the door to Neah's room slam. Neah was just as weird as ever, grating your nerves one second and then dredging up sympathy the next. Cross doubted if it was a conscious effort, Neah never had really understood how his actions could affect other people.

If anything, it was that trait that landed him in the most hot water. But that could just as easily been pegged to his ability to inadvertently insult anything; which Neah seemed equally unaware of. Well, whatever the reason, Cross still had yet to meet someone with such an ability to get himself in and out of trouble.

The ex-General watched his former student passively for a few seconds before he detached himself from the doorway and stepped inside. It was time to give Allen a demonstration in magic.

XXX

Allen didn't want to wake up, he was warm and comfortable. It was like he was in a little bubble that was cut off from the rest of the world as well as his own pain. But, as anyone that has ever used soap can tell you, bubbles are easily burst and such comfort was never meant to last.

Allen felt something against his cheek, just below where the mask ended. It was very gentle as it stirred Allen but it also reawakened the pain in his leg and ribs. This in and of itself immediately made Allen resentful and he squeezed his eyes tighter and snorted. Maybe if the person just went away, Allen could go back to sleep…

The pressure against his cheek became a little more persistent and Allen turned his head to one side to get away from it. "Mnnnh," He sighed and there was a lessening in the pressure accompanied by a rustle next to his ear. Allen grimaced slightly as he heard a voice a long way off, almost like it was underwater, before his face relaxed. Whatever it was could wait, besides Allen highly doubted that there was anything important enough to wake him up. He couldn't have been asleep for nearly long enough and he needed to recover, right?

There were a few more moments of blissful peacefulness before something very sharp sank into Allen's earlobe and his eyes shot open. He sat before he had a chance to realize what was going on and in the process he attempted to bring his knees up. The movement jerked his leg out of the comfortable position the Crowned Clown had put it in. Fortunately, Alma had known what he was doing and the leg had been set well enough that the bones did not slip out of place but that didn't stop it from hurting. "OW!" Allen hissed. "Fuck!" His hands flew to his leg and he clutched it as if that would lessen the pain, although he had to be careful not to accidently dig his Innocent's claw in. He drew back his lips and squeezed his jaw so tightly that his teeth ached. He bent his head so his chin almost rested on his bare chest and he squeezed his eye shut as white flashed in the corners of his vision.

"We really need to get you to cut down on the cursing, Idiot Apprentice." Allen opened his eyes and let his eyes come into focus before he turned his head to look as Cross.

"Master." He said and strain was evident in his voice as well as on his face. "Why did you stab my ear?"

"I didn't do anything." Allen made a face that quite clearly said 'I call bull shit', although he said nothing out loud. "_He _did." Cross unfolded his arms from in front of his chest and he pointed at Allen's pillow. No emotions were evident on Cross's face as he spoke and Allen felt a strange mixture of anger and confusion. Cross rose from the dead, saved his from a Noah, carried him back to the Ark, and was now acting like Allen was once again just another inconvenience. A smile would have been the least he could have done!

After another second, Allen turned his head to see what Cross was pointing at, although some of the dark purple bruises on his neck protested at the movement. What he saw made him momentarily forget the fact that he was in pain and his jaw dropped.

There was a small, worried looking golem sitting on Allen's pillow, a few inched away from the dent where Allen's head had been. A small, _golden_ golem. "T-Tim?" Allen asked and Timcampy swished his tail before fluttering over to land by Allen's knee. He seemed very concerned for Allen's well being and sheepish about biting his ear but Allen no longer cared about that. "You're dead! Neah killed you!" Allen told the golem. Then he looked up at Cross. "You're dead too. I saw the _blood_! So… dose that mean…I'm dead?"

"Idiot," Cross snorted. "You aren't dead and I never was."

"T-then what about Tim?" Allen said and he picked up the golem carefully between his claws before he held him out for Cross to see. "I _know_ that Timcampy was dead!" Allen's voice shook and confusion was written across his features. No…it wasn't confusion. It took a moment for Cross to recognize the emotion and he was actually surprised by it. In all the years he had known Allen, he had never before seen such a wild fear in his expression.

"Yes, Tim was dead. You aren't going insane, Allen." Cross said. He had long known that Allen feared losing his mind, and more recently the takeover of Neah, but Cross had rarely seen Allen give anything so close to a confession of that fear. Relief immediately washed over Allen's face and he drew back his claw so he could look down at Timcampy. The little golem had remained silent and unmoving during this whole exchange but there was no way that he didn't understand what was going on.

"Then how…?"

"Magic." Cross said and Allen gave him a skeptical frown.

"Magic?" He repeated after a pause. Cross had mentioned magic several times while 'teaching' Allen and it had been hinted that that was how the Grave of Maria was operated but Allen had never seriously believed that magic was real. Innocents, Akuma, and Noah he did believe in, and from a logical standpoint they could not exist so Allen supposed that he could be wrong. But he highly doubted it.

"Yes, Idiot Apprentice, _magic_."

"You can bring back the dead?"

"No."

"But you just said-"

"Tim was never technically alive." Cross said but Allen just looked even more confused. "He's a golem, a clay creature that has been programmed with a personality. It's actually fairly easy to recreate."

"Neah _killed_ him," Allen stated. He was having a really hard time understanding what Cross was telling him. He knew that the Order could make golem after golem and they sometimes developed personalities, but that was always a flaw. After a week at the Order, Allen had known that Timcampy was different that the rest but he still wasn't sure how Cross had brought _Timcampy_ back and not just a lookalike. There was more to his personality than just programs!

"Neah used to kill him on a daily basis." Cross stated. "The first time was an accident but after he found out I could bring him back the floodgates opened." Allen recognized his master's tone and he found it strange that Cross would be angry at someone other than him. Timcampy flew out of Allen's hand and landed on his shoulder, far away from all of the massive purple bruises. "Neah made it into sort of a game."

"A game of destroying Tim?" Allen tilted his head and looked at the golem. No wonder they never got along. Neah and already grabbed Timcampy and smashed him against several things whenever he became bored in their short time together. Allen could easily see him falling into the habit of destroying him every time he became angry.

"By the way," Cross said and Allen blinked at him. "Deactivate your Innocents, it's making Neah sick."

"Eh?" Allen asked and he felt a surge of guilt. He hadn't even realized that his Innocents was still activated, it felt very natural. "Is he okay?"

"He says he's fine."

"So probably not?"

"Exactly." Cross said. Neah was the kind of person that hid it when he was in pain, much like Allen, but Neah was actually pretty easy to read, unlike Allen. Cross knew how hard it as for Neah not to give in to his demonic desires but he also knew that he would hold them off forever to try to keep Allen safe. Like it or not, Neah had become indisputably attached to the young exorcist.

Allen touched his mask almost reluctantly. He liked the feeling of his Innocents being activated but he knew that he was being stupid. The Crowned Clown would not go away just because he deactivated it and it would help Neah. So why was he so reluctant? The Crown Clown's consciousness stirred in the back of his mind and it pulsed comfortably in his skull and made him feel warm and fuzzy again. Allen took this as some kind of permission and he let his hand return to its normal blackened form. His cloak also evaporated but, strangely enough, his mask stayed. Carefully, Allen picked it off his face and put it under his chin so that it rested on his chest. He sat there for a few seconds with his fingers still hooked around the mask and lost in thought.

"But, I still don't know…" Allen said softly but then he shook his head as if to clear it. "Master I want to know," Allen looked back at Cross who had an unreadable expression. "How exactly you managed to bring Tim back?" Cross smirked and Allen's blood went cold. He suddenly didn't want to know.

"That, Idiot Apprentice, is what I get to teach you."

* * *

**Dun dun Duuuuun! **

**This chapter was just the Ark so I suspect that an update on Team Lena-Lavi-Tim-Book is in Order~! :D**


	19. Finding or Losing

**Yay! New chapter! I wrote 'et' instead of 'and' in this...the whole way through. :/ It's fixed now.  
**

**Still don't own D. Gray-man. There are a couple OCs in this one but they have minor roles so I don't think anyone will be bothered by them.

* * *

**It had stopped snowing by the time the group got off the train. The sun was out and the sky was pale blue, the kind of light that you had to scrunch up your eyes if you wanted to see anything. Lenalee had grabbed Timothy's hand again, despite the fact that there was no one around this time. Timothy tried to protest him but she shushed him. What, did she think he was a little kid? Timothy was _nine _and he was an exorcist! He knew better than to wander off!

"We should check in with the local mortician first," Lavi said. "Then see if any doctors remember him. Allen would have been there when they proclaimed him dead; someone might know where they came from too." Bookman nodded in agreement and Lenalee half-smiled.

"Let's get going then!" Timothy said and he used the chance to slip his hand out of Lenalee's before running over to Lavi who he was sure would not hold his hand. Lenalee blinked in surprise but she did not protest. She still had his roller skates so he wasn't in danger of rolling in front of a carriage or anything like that. Besides, Lavi could protect him in case of an Akuma attack. "Where's the dead-person-person?" Timothy asked.

"Mortician," Bookman corrected but Timothy ignored him. He was excited and he couldn't wait to find out more about Allen!

XXX

"You know how many bodies I get in here?" The aging man demanded and he smoothed back his salt-and-pepper-hair. "I have a hard enough time remembering who the people I see on a daily basis are, much less who some no-name carnie and his brat are." The man was haggard looking, as if Lavi interrupting his paperwork was the height of rudeness.

"We're from the Black Order, sir." Lenalee said and she took a step forward and Timothy shuffled nervously. The man was creepy and there was an overwhelming stench of salt and formaldehyde in the air. It made Timothy's stomach churn and it was only his stubborn pride that kept him from running outside or _worse_, grabbing Lenalee's hand.

"Saying that won't change a thing, Missy. Fact of the matter is I don't know him."

"Do you keep records?" Bookman asked and the mortician looked at him almost approvingly.

"Yes Sir. Would you like to look through them? Might not be of much help though, it's just time of death and that sort. I wouldn't have any information of his kid."

"We just need some background information." Bookman said mildly. The man nodded and he vanished into the darker recesses of his office. Timothy tried to ignore the bleached white skull staring at him from the man's desk and he almost screamed when there was a loud rattling sound. His heart started thumping wildly in his chest as the man reappeared from the darkness with a large drawer in his arms.

"Here, this is from the year you mentioned." The man thrust the drawer into Lavi's arm, who had to struggle to keep the unexpected weight from falling. "I have paperwork to file. When you're done just set that on my desk."

"Thank you, Sir." Lenalee said.

"Huh." He grunted and he glared daggers at both her and Lavi before he sat down behind his desk. Lavi stuck his tongue out at the back of his head before he made for the door, although he had to wait for someone else to open it.

When they got outside, Timothy had to screw up his eyes and blink as he tried to get used to the light change while Lenalee ushered him to a bench that had managed to avoid becoming snowy. It was mid afternoon now, so most people were at work or home and the streets were relatively empty. Lavi set the drawer down before he started shuffling files around on the quest for one labeled 'Mana Walker'.

"Here we go!" Lavi said and he pulled out a particularly thin looking folder that had Allen's father's name written on the top in red ink.

"What's it say?" Lenalee asked as Lavi flipped open the papers. People started to crowd him but Lavi held the papers high and scanned them over before he began speaking.

"Name: Mana Walker.

Gender: Male.

Occupation: Performer.

Living Relatives: Son: Name Unknown.

Time of Death: December 25th, 11:13 P.M."

"Is there a doctor's name?" Bookman asked and Lavi looked at the bottom of the page.

"Clive Thompson. There's no address." There was only a slight hint of disappointment in Lavi's voice and he lowered the papers. "That's all it says."

"Well, at least we have a name now." Lenalee said as brightly as she could.

"Right. Return those while we ask around for Doctor Thompson." Bookman instructed and Lavi grumbled under his breath as he hefted up the papers. "Timothy, help him get the door." Timothy tried not to gulp as he trailed after Lavi. He had only just escaped from the place! Why couldn't Bookman open the door? Why couldn't Lenalee?

The place was as dark as ever and Timothy covered his nose to stave off the stench. Much to his horrified surprise, Lavi shoved him inside with his foot before walking inside himself, door slamming shut behind him.

"Find what you were looking for?" The mortician asked without looking up.

"Sort of," Lavi said and he dropped the drawer on the desk so that it shook the skull and the man glared up at him. "Are you sure you don't remember anything? Kid, white hair, red mark on his eye?"

"Look, I don't deal with the living. Especially kids." Timothy stepped so Lavi's body shielded him from the man's line of view. Was the skull on his desk…a kid's skull? The man was creepy enough for that to be the case.

"He's kind of unusual looking-"

"So? I get a lot of freaks in here. I don't remember any of them. Sorry kid, I probably won't even be able to pick you out of a crowd tomorrow. I'm bad with people." Lavi stared at him impassively before he wheeled around and stormed to the door. He grabbed Timothy's shoulder as he passed and dragged him out. It might have been accidental but Lavi's hand was almost painfully tight and Timothy was surprised to see traces of anger in the teen's face. The Bookman Jr. wasn't allowed to have emotions but he seemed almost furious that the man had been completely unhelpful.

"Um, Thanks!" Timothy said to the mortician before he was out of the place for what he hopped was the last time. The sunlight still hurt after the gloom indoors. Lavi dropped his shoulder before scanning the area for Lenalee and Bookman.

"Lavi! Tim!" Lenalee shouted and they both noticed her poking her head around a street corner. "The hospital is this way!" She waved her arm for a bit before she disappeared behind the corner once more.

"Come on." Lavi said. He started walking with a long gait so that Timothy had to almost run to keep up with him. Not that he minded. Everyone, except perhaps Bookman, was excited at the prospect of seeing if there was any information to be had about Allen. It was scary in a way, the idea of unfolding Allen's history and discovering who he was. But it was also exhilarating. At least for Timothy anyway, Lavi still seemed irritated.

They walked, and in one case jogged, to the hospital. It was a small, white building that was more like a family clinic than anything else. Timothy's eyes went to the emblem above the doors and he wondered if Mana would have lived had there been better medical treatment than a tiny hospital.

A bell rang as they stepped inside and a small woman looked up from the front desk. She was tall and slender with her blonde hair pulled back so tightly that Timothy was amazed that her skin wasn't peeled off. There was no one else in the waiting room and Lenalee sat Timothy down in a chair before she sat down next to him while the other two stepped up to the desk. "How may I help you?" The woman asked and she sounded surprisingly young.

"May we speak to Doctor Clive Thompson?" Lavi asked and he grinned at her. She looked up at him in surprise then frowned.

"I'm sorry, Clive died last year." She sounded truly sorry but she also looked curious. "What is this about?"

"We wish to inquire about a relative of a patient he had some time ago. This matter is of upmost importance." Bookman said and the woman's eyes fell to the crest on his chest. Then her eyes moved to Lavi's chest before she looked at the two sitting down. Realization dawned on her and Timothy was surprised to see she now had an edge of fear.

"He used to work a lot with Nurse Dover. She might know something." The woman said carefully and she looked torn between her desire to keep confidential patient information confidential and fear of what the Order might do to her if she did not cooperate.

"Kindly fetch her then," The Bookman instructed and she nodded before she stood up and awkwardly marched out. Lavi turned around and waved at Lenalee and Timothy before Bookman elbowed him in the stomach and he almost doubled over. The blond woman returned a few minutes later with another woman, this one with curly red hair and shinny brown eyes. She seemed friendly and a little suspicious but she introduced herself politely enough.

"Nurse, would you please sit? We have some questions for you."

"Just Annie, please." She said and she sat down across from Lenalee. Bookman and Lavi stood on either side, almost as if blocking her escape. The bond woman looked back and forth between the group and the nurse before she backed out of the room and left them alone. "What is this about?"

"We understand that around six years ago, you had a patient named Mana Walker. Do you remember anything about him?" Bookman asked and Annie's eyes flashed with distrust.

"Please," Lenalee said. "We need to know about his son."

"Allen?" The woman asked in surprise. "Are you friends of his?"

"Yes. And he's in danger. We need to know everything that you can tell us so we can help him." Lenalee explained and Annie nodded.

"Can you tell us about Mr. Walker?" Lavi asked.

"He was trampled by a carriage. He was dead long before he came here. Allen was crying and I was asked to take him out of the room." Annie smiled slightly at the memory. "He was such a sweet child too, he never complained at all."

"Did you ever see him after that?" Lenalee asked in a strained voice. Almost as if she wanted to go back and help the little Allen. Lavi wondered why, they had already known about this so why was she getting worked up?

"Yeah, he came in a few days later, poor child was on the verge of a panic attack."

"Why?" Lavi asked, "What happened?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Annie said and she stared at their blank faces. "His appearance changed."

"Changed?" Timothy repeated.

"How did his appearance change?" Lavi asked at the same time.

"His hair was white and he had this red mark over his left eye. I didn't know where the mark came from but I sat him down and told him that sometimes once people experience extreme shock their hair turns white. He was still panicking though, can't say that I blame him." Lenalee and Lavi exchanged a glance but Annie didn't notice. "A red-haired man from the Black Order came and took him away not too long after that. I probably would have adopted him myself if he hadn't shown up."

"What did he look like previously?" Bookman asked.

"Well, he had brown hair and he didn't have a mark on his face. And he wore a glove over his bad hand. He never did tell me what was wrong with it, though. I suppose it must have been burned. It's a bad idea to let a child that age hand around in a circus." Annie tossed her head. "But I guess that was the best he could have done for him."

"Do you know where they came from? Where they went?"

"Allen said that they had been traveling for a long time, he said he had stopped learning the names of towns because they were never in any of them long enough. But I know that they came from somewhere to the north, and there's only one town north of here. The General took him west. I don't know the exact location." Annie chewed on her lip as she searched her memory but, in the end, she just shook her head. "I don't remember anything else. Does that help?"

"Yes, thank you." Lenalee said and she smiled. Annie gave her a cold look before she stood up and pushed past Lavi. "We really do want to help Allen!" Lenalee said but it was too late, Annie had already left the waiting room. Timothy didn't understand why she had been so cold. The Order helped people! But the woman had seemed frightened…had something terrible happened? For the first time, doubt flickered in Timothy's mind but he quickly stamped it out. There was no way he was working for bad people! The Earl was the evil one!

"So," Bookman said. Everyone turned to look at him with varying looks of surprise and the old man cleared his throat. "Do we want to know more about his childhood or his time with Cross?"

XXX

Neah was on his back, in his room and on a couch, trying to figure out if it would calm him down to try to count down from infinity by twos. But then he would have to figure out what exactly infinity was but, being infantine, it would probably piss him off more than anything else at this point. There was still a large bloodstain in here and it disturbed Neah a little bit but he had other things to worry about right now.

"Infinity. Infinity minus two. Infinity minus four. Infinity minus six. Infinity minus… ugh, this if fucking stupid. I might as well count by twos up from zero." Neah snorted and he covered his eyes with a still-gray hand. His blood was still boiling and he would not be able to transform back until he relived some of that anger. And one thing that always cheered up Neah was cursing.

Neah took a deep breath before he belted out all the curse words he could think off in rapid succession. Less than a third was in English but he hardly thought the language mattered, the message was still the same. He still had a hand over his eyes so it surprised him when suddenly something slammed into his forehead at high speed. "Ow!" He yelped even though it didn't hurt and he sat bolt upright. "What the fu-"

"If Allen's going to stop cursing, you're going to have to stop cursing too."

"And what's wrong with cursing?" Neah demanded and he glared at the doorway were Cross stood.

"It's crass, unpleasant, and generally unacceptable in high society."

"Yeah? Well so is womanizing, drinking, dressing like a clown, and gambling." Neah retorted. "And I didn't teach him any of those."

"Neither did I. He picked up all his bad habits on his own; I had nothing to do with it."

"And you're sticking with that story?"

"Yep."

"Thought so." Neah got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. Cross seemed to be pointedly avoiding looking at Neah's mutilated eye and part of the Noah wanted to use this new information to his advantage. "How is he?"

"Dreading the prospect of me actually teaching him something."

"Well that's a good sign." Neah smirked. Cross tossed his head and Timcampy landed on his shoulder. Neah quickly gathered that it had been the golem that had smacked him in the forehead. "I bet that made Allen happy."

"Well, after he discovered that he was not, in fact, dead he was ecstatic." Cross had a hint of something Neah couldn't place in his voice and it gave it an odd edge. Neah's mind was whirling with his own emotions, he couldn't place the subtle hint from Cross.

"Right so, no mental breakdowns? His wounds are still wrapped up?"

"And I got him to deactivate his Innocents but," Cross paused here for dramatic effect and Neah lifted an eyebrow.

"But? But what?"

"The mask stayed." Cross said. "I don't know what it means." Neah blinked in confusion and frowned. The mask? Was that even possible? No, it shouldn't have been possible…what was the Crown Clown trying to pull now? Neah snorted before he walked over to the door. Cross didn't move as he walked by but he did say, "Go into your human form. You'll scare him."

Neah looked up at him but Cross had already looked away. There was an awkward pause before Neah finally left and he changed into his human form as he went. He wasn't worried about frightening Allen, no; he was more concerned about what the Crowned Clown might do to him if he showed up in his Noah form. The Clown was getting more and more powerful and as much as Neah wanted to see the full extent of its powers he really didn't want it to happen on his ass.

Cross had left the door open but Neah still knocked on the frame out of courtesy. Allen was sitting up on his bed with his head down and his fingers hooked around his mask and Neah had to force his lips from curling back into a snarl at the silver metal. The way it was glinting was almost…mocking. The second he heard the small noise, Allen's head shot up. Neah was surprised to see Allen looking hostile for a second before he realized who it was at the door. "Neah!" He shouted and he shifted his weight as if he was about to launch himself forward but then hissed in pain and clamped his hands just about his knee.

"Easy!" Neah said and he was at Allen's side faster than he would have thought possible. "Don't try to move, alright?" Allen looked up and smiled and Neah blinked. He had never thought about it before but when had Allen stopped giving him that fake smile and given him a genuine one? It must have happened slowly because Neah had never really noticed until just now. "How are you? Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Well, a shirt would be nice." Allen said. Neah blinked then smiled himself. No shit, he needed a shirt. It was bloody freezing in here! Neah went to Allen's wardrobe and he dug through it until he found a plain black shirt. He had to wrestle a bit before it finally came free. It was slightly wrinkled but Neah was a little nervous about the idea of digging any deeper into the mass of knotted fabric. Neah picked his way back through the mess that he was sure covered some sort of floor and he wondered how Allen could live in such a mess. Didn't he see how conveniently organized the rest of the Ark was?

"Here," Neah said and he handed Allen the shirt, who slipped into it quickly and began to do up the buttons. The mask was defiantly the Clown's and it had tied itself around Allen's neck with a strip of white fabric, the same kind that made up the Clown's cloak. His gaze hardened fractionally but he couldn't feel the presence of Innocents which meant it was totally deactivated. So their synchronization rate had indeed gone up. Neah wondered what would happen if they got any closer, Allen was already part Innocents so was it possible that they could fuse? Neah hoped not but he would have to keep a closer eye on it from now on.

"Neah?" Allen said when he was done and Neah sat down on the bed next to him, although he was very careful not to bump his leg.

"Yeah?"

"What just happened?" Allen's face was dead serious and Neah was slightly taken aback.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said carefully. Much to his surprise, Allen puffed out his cheeks and gave him an exasperated look.

"Like…three days ago I asked you if I could leave the Ark-"

"More like five." Neah corrected but Allen ignored him.

"Then when I did, I met up with someone from the Black Order who said that I was you then started chasing me. When I get back, you've just finished cutting off some ropes that you were inexplicably bound in and you went and beat him senseless then try to dump him in a blizzard-"

"The Himalayas."

"Then you send me off to go get food and I manage to go to the _one_ place where there's a Noah. He acts surprised when I don't know him and makes a comment on my age before he throws me through a building. My _dead_ Master then shows up with Maria and then carries me back onto the Ark where you are with another Noah. Then you turn Maria into ash and send Master somewhere else. Then both Kanda and Alma show up and set my leg before they apparently vanish into thin air. Then, when I wake up, Timcampy is alive too and Master says he's going to teach me magic! What am I missing? Why don't I know what's going on?" Allen finally ended and he was slightly breathless from the outburst.

Neah stared at him in surprise. Now that he thought about it, it did make sense for Allen to be confused. Hell, Neah was confused and he knew more than anyone else at this point. Except maybe the Earl…or Cross. Allen tilted his head up to frown at Neah she just gave him a sheepish smile. "Well, that's a lot of explaining to do. Where do you want me to start?"

"Why isn't my Master dead?"

"He, um, faked his death." Neah said. "To escape before the Order killed him for real."

"Then why didn't he take me too?" Allen's eyes were glistening and Neah realized with a start the he felt betrayed by Cross's actions. Allen liked Cross just as much as Cross liked Allen and to find that Cross had abandoned him to the Order was a hard blow.

"Listen to me Allen," Neah said even though Allen was already listening intently. "Cross had no way of knowing what was going to happen to you. He knew things that endangered you both. It was the safest thing for both of you."

"Then why didn't he leave me a hint? Why didn't he tell me that he was alive!"

"Any message he left for you would be found by others too. There was nothing else he could have done." Neah said soothingly. Allen still seemed upset about it so Neah reached over and pushed his hair out of his face. "It's okay if you're angry but just understand that there wasn't anything else he could have done." There was a second's pause before Allen leaned over and hugged Neah. Neah blinked in surprise and he realized that Allen was…_crying?_

Neah gently put his arms on Allen's back and hugged him as best he could without hurting his ribs. "Everyone I meet acts like there's something wrong with me." Allen said although he sounded muffled.

"Its okay, Allen," Neah reassured him.

"No its not." Allen said. He pushed away from Neah slightly and he looked up into his face. His cheeks were wet with tears and he looked horribly confused but there was also a flame in his eyes. Was it determination? "Neah, what's wrong with me? Everyone I meet…they ask my age and they act weird when I tell them. Did something happen to me at the Order? Why can't I remember anything!"

"Shh, Allen." Neah said and he hugged Allen tighter. "It's not your fault that you can't remember." He said and Allen's shoulder shook and he buried his face back in Neah's shirt. Neah didn't know what he should say. The truth would be painful but any more lies and he would dig a grave too deep for him to ever escape from. And to say nothing might be worse of all. "Allen, when they took the Crowned Clown away it damaged your memories. But it damaged other things too. You are…different than you were before. You have to understand Allen; you were a different person then than you are now."

Neah didn't know if that was the right thing to say and he heard muffled sobs. "Its okay, Allen," He said. There was no response so Neah did the only thing he could think of. He hugged Allen and waited for him to stop crying.

XXX

"How did it go?" Cross had migrated to a couch and he was reading a book again when Neah trudged back in.

"Eh, could've been worse." Neah said and he flopped down on the couch across from Cross. He drew his knees up to his chest and he covered his face with a hand. "Could have been a hell of a lot better, too."

"That tends to be the case."

"Yeah? Well, it went well for you."

"Depends on your definition of 'well'." Cross said and he set down the book. "So what did he do?"

"He…knows something is up. Apparently Tyki and Kanda made comments on his age and memory loss so now he's confused and panicking." Neah left out the parts about Cross and the fact that Allen cried. "He's sleeping again so we're leaving him alone for a while." There was something bothering Neah and he couldn't quite place his finger on it. He lowered his hand and rested it on the top of his knee then shut his eyes while he thought.

Timcampy was sitting on top of Cross's hat and glaring at him reproachfully but Neah didn't spare him a glance. The more he thought about it the more he knew that something was wrong. The Crowned Clown hadn't been as aggressive as usual and Allen's memories hadn't fluttered when he touched Allen…

Neah's eyes shot open and he stared at Cross in horror. The memories! Neah tore through his own mind, desperately searching for the fragments of Allen's memories that he had kept. But there was nothing. The memories were gone. "Crap!" Neah spat and he got to his feet.

"What's up?" Cross asked.

"Road! While she was in my mind! I think she took them!" Neah said but Cross just blinked.

"Taken what?"

"Allen's memories! The ones I still had!" Neah shouted and Cross looked almost alarmed. "She has Allen's missing memories! The _Earl_ has Allen's missing memories!"

* * *

**I stuck in some fluff. Because I love fluff. :D**


	20. Road's New Doll

**Okay, please know that there has been about a week's time skip from the last chapter, yeah? But nothing much has happened since then, Okay~? This is where the action starts up again. ^^ Although, this is pretty fluffy. Sorry! Fluff happens between dramatic things! How else will anyone's character develop? (Don't answer that)

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**

Finding lodgings hadn't been a problem for Alma and Kanda, they had both taken job offering at the first available hotel and food and shelter were apparently complementary to workers. Which was extraordinarily convenient although Kanda still wasn't satisfied but Alma knew they were very lucky to have found someone willing to employ foreigners. Alma, being cheery and welcoming, was given a job at the front desk while Kanda, who couldn't deal with people to save his life, was put on laundry duty. The idea was to wait and earn money until they could either afford boat tickets to England or land a job on a boat to England. Alma wasn't sure what the plan was after that and he was almost completely certain that in fact there was no plan and Kanda was just making things up as he went along. They were pretty well off as it was except for one teeny, tiny problem.

The door to their shared room burst open and Alma looked up from his accounting work to see Kanda standing in the frame. He was brilliant red and there was still snow in his hair and on his shoulders. "So?" Alma asked as Kanda slammed the door shut.

And that teeny, tiny problem was…

"Che." Kanda snorted. "I can't understand a single thing any of these fucking people say."

There was a language barrier between Kanda and the New York locals.

Kanda tromped over to one of the beds and started tossing down all of the supplies he had brought with him. Alma sighed and gently set his pen down before he got up. "Kanda, if you would just listen to them I think you'll find that they're actually fairly easy to understand."

"They have weird words for normal things!"

"They still speak plain English."

"It hardly counts as English," Kanda scoffed. "Then they start talking slowly and making weird hand gestures-"

"Probably so you'll have a clue what they're saying."

"-Then when I tell I don't understand they get louder and start pointing at random things!"

"Probably so you'll have a clue what they're saying." Alma repeated although Kanda still ignored him and continued lamenting about the accent of New York natives. Well, so long as he didn't bring up the lack of soba again Alma could take it.

"And the food her is just-"

_Damn it._

XXX

"First is Adam~

Then was judgment~

Then pleasure,

And desire~

Wisdom~

Then was corrosion~!

Pity!

Wrath!

And dreams~!

Next came our bonds,

And then our lust~

And ability!

And finally there was the one of which we do not speak~

So Allen Walker,

I wonder what you will be."

Road was still dissatisfied with the lyrics but the tune was perfect, haunting yet cheery and welcoming. A stark contrast to the song she had for the Earl. It was the song she would sing when Allen came to the family. The song she would sing when he would be hers. Road smiled and rolled onto her back at the thought and she tossed her new ragdoll up in the air and let it land in her outstretched hands. She couldn't wait to have Allen! She would love him and play with him and maybe even share him with her siblings! But probably not, they always played so roughly.

Besides, Allen was _not_ a plaything. As much as she would like to see him suffer as a human, once he was a Noah she would protect him. She would make sure he was safe from the disgusting exorcists he loved, the filthy humans, and, most importantly, _Neah_. It almost made her feel sick to think about what Neah could be doing to Allen. He had a way of taking anything good and distorting it into something ugly, impure, _frightening. _Road had to count on the hope that Allen would stay Allen until she had a chance to save him and help him find his true power.

Her lips pulled into a human smile and she sat up on her bed and picked up her doll in her hands. She had made it herself and it was beautifully crafted. It had pale skin, silver-blue eyes, a red mark over its eye, and white hair.

It was also the container for the memories she had taken from Neah.

When she had first seen them, the memories from Allen in Neah's mind, she had been confused. Road had thought that they were fragments of Allen that had been left behind in the transfer and she had pulled them into herself as she drove candles into Neah. It was only after the Earl had talked to her that she had first realized what they were but even then, it wasn't until after she calmed down at Tyki that she understood completely what it meant. Neah had been keeping Allen's lost memories with him the whole time.

Road understood why he had done it, Neah had wanted them an insurance. If he was ever in a situation that might lead to Allen abandoning him, the Fourteenth would simply offer to help Allen 'find' his memories and Allen would have been forced to stay. There were a thousand scenarios where such a thing could be useful. Road understood how the mind worked and she knew how much it would crave what it had lost. Did Allen ever feel pain when he was close to remembering something? Did he ever get a hollow feeling? Did he ever feel lost?

Did he have any idea what Neah had done to him?

Road looked affectionately at the Allen rag-doll before she propped it up gently against her pillows then pulled the covers up to its chin. Road sat up and smirked at it. It really was her best work, it looked so much like Allen~! She looked at it for another second before Road leaned over and kissed it on its forehead. Would she someday be able to do that to the real Allen? Road hopped that he would blush when she did. Road giggled and scooped up her doll before she jumped off her bed and twirled around.

There were a million things Road could do to Allen's memories to make him think he loved her. She could plant herself into his mind and paint herself as an angel but Road would not do that to him. Any other person she would not hesitate to warp but Allen was different. He was different simply because she loved him.

So Road had not touched or twisted Allen's memories. She hadn't even looked at them to see what Allen thought of her. Road would return Allen's memories to him whole and unmarred. He would once more be the boy with fire in his eyes, the only boy that had ever made her want to be a human. Allen would be Allen again and that thought alone made Road's heart pound.

Allen could be turned into a Noah later. He would join up with the Earl, with _her,_ later. First she wanted him to remember. She knew he would hate her and try to hurt her but she would still restore them to him. What Neah had done was wrong and Road would see to it that his mistakes were rectified.

No one would ever twist Allen's mind again, not even Road. She had even kept her new doll and its secrets hidden from the Earl and the other Noah for just this reason. They would all surely want to distort them and none of them would understand how she felt. Even if it was to help the cause she fought for, Road could not let who Allen had been become warped in any way. Who he would become, on the other hand, was a completely different matter and Road grinned that the thought.

"I wonder which Noah you can be~?"

XXX

"Tyki~!"

Tyki's hand clenched on the thin book and he buried his nose further into it in hope that maybe, just maybe, Road would leave him alone. This was the climax! The scene where the brave hero would finally face the Horned King! Of course, Tyki knew that the hero would lose then be saved by his companions in the end. The King would survive as well and fight the hero in a later book. But knowing that didn't make it any less exciting, damn it! Besides, after what Road had done once she found out he had hurt Allen looking at her made him slightly uncomfortable. He had never known that she was capable of such a thing.

"Tyki! I know you can hear me~!" Road sang out again and Tyki sighed through his nose. She was in his doorway, leaning in.

"Road, may I please finish this?"

"Ehhh? But Tyki! You've read that before and I want to play~!" Road stepped in uninvited and danced across the room to his chair. Tyki shut his book and frowned up at her. She was smiling sweetly while in her human form, an odd change of pace. Tyki studied the skin under her eyes to see if it was still red but it was as white and smooth as milk. This almost made him feel relived until he noticed the little Allen-doll she was hugging with one arm. Crap. "Please Tyki? Everything's so boring!"

"Why don't you try reading?" Tyki suggested but Road puffed out her cheeks and gave him an indignant frown.

"I want to play~!" She whinned.

"Fine, but," Tyki smirked, "I get to hold _that._" He pointed at the doll in her arm. Instantly Road's childish expression evaporated to be replaced by a blank stare. That was not the reaction he had expected and he blinked before he set the book down on the table next to him. Now that he had seen Road do _that_ he wasn't sure what else she would, could, do.

Slowly, Road shook her head and she smiled weakly at him before she turned around and left his room in silence. Tyki wanted to follow her and apologize but he talked himself out of it. Road had left on her own and she would be back on her own. Tyki picked up his book again and thumbed to the right page before he started to read once more. Following her was out of the question, not now that he knew what she could do. It somehow made her even more terrifying.

After the night he had hurt Allen, Road had ran into his room with the Earl on her heels. He had expected her to drag him into her realm and bring out all sorts of horrific torture devices. What he had not expected, however, was for her to slap him across the face and shout, "I told you not to hurt him! What if he had died? Damn it Tyki! What if I lost him!" At the time Tyki had stared at her slack jawed with his eyes wide and when he looked past her he saw that the Earl was equally shocked.

Then Road had done the unthinkable. Her knees gave out and she sank to a sitting position before she covered her eyes and started to cry. The mere thought of losing him had made _her cry._ The Ninth! She had looked so much like a human then that it was terrifying. Tyki had wanted to go to her and comfort her but the fact that she was dangerous and clearly unstable held him back. Eventually, the Earl had come forward and picked her up before carrying her back to her room before any of the others could see her. Although, Tyki doubted if even the twins would tease her for crying.

She had been right there with the Earl when each of them had awoken and she loved them all in her own weird, sadistic way. But she also loved a human. Allen Walker. The only man in the world that could make Road shed her own tears.

If the other Noah had seen her in that state there would have been a manhunt that wouldn't have ended until Allen was either dead or before her with his head bowed, apologizing. Tyki wondered if either would have made her happy and he quickly decided that it would be best for everyone if that little incident was hidden and Road if was the one that finally decided what the end for Allen Walker would be. He just hoped that she would make the choice that was the safest for her as well as for the rest of the clan.

XXX

Neah set Allen back down on his bed as carefully as he could and he muttered something about crutches under his breath as he did so. Allen had just taken his first bath in a week with help from the, albeit reluctant, Noah. It really was quite a good thing, Allen's hair had become gray from all the grease and it had become so clumped that Timcampy wouldn't even sit on it. Now it was white and fluffy, just as it should be.

Allen propped himself up with an arm as Neah looked over his cast to make sure that it hadn't unraveled at all. When Neah was satisfied, he turned to Allen and smiled. "How are you feeling now?"

"I think the pain killers are working," Allen said slowly. "My tongue's gone numb."

"Has your leg numbed?"

"Yeah, I can't feel a thing." Allen said and Neah nodded. About an hour before Allen's bath, Neah had managed to get his hands on some powerful pain killers. He didn't say from where, though and Allen had only taken them until after they passed Cross's test. As much as he liked Neah, he wasn't sure he trusted his medical advice. Fortunately, _this_ time he had actually grabbed pain killers and not antibiotics, which he had also found from an unknown source and claimed to be painkillers.

"And?" Neah prompted.

"And what?"

"Do you need anything?" Neah had taken to getting everything he thought Allen might need. He had given him the weights he had used while he was first recovering from having the Crowned Clown returned to him, he always made sure that Allen was comfortable, and he brought more food than Allen and Timcampy combined could hope to eat in a week and brazenly stated that it was a 'meal'. "Did you finish the book I gave you?"

"Oh, yeah!" Allen said and he reached as far as he could across his bed and pulled a little blue copy of Through the Looking Glass out and handed it to Neah. "It was confusing and I missed the Cheshire Cat but it was still really good."

"I thought you might like it." Neah said and he tucked the book into one of his pockets before he dug through his coat. Eventually he found another book and he handed it to Allen with a smug look on his face. "Try this one next." Allen took the rather beaten up looking book and he stared at the cover. Neah was looking particularly self satisfied but Allen was doubtful.

"Neah…is that…a pile of corpses?" Allen asked as he stared at the cover.

"Yep!"

"Is this a war novel?"

"My favorite one."

"Oh." Allen tore his eyes from the rather gruesome scene and he frowned at Neah. "If you say so then I'll read it." Neah grinned and Allen wondered how swollen his head was going to get before Cross burst it and he went to sulk in some random country. That was a pattern he had noticed lately. The two of them seemed to love arguing and they disagreed with each other seemingly just to have an excuse to start snarling. Sometimes Allen felt like he was the exhausted parent to two irresponsible brats but he would never say that out loud. He still remembered that nightmare that was his Master's 'training' and an angry Neah was something he never wanted to see again.

Neah's gaze suddenly hardened and Allen flinched before he realized the problem. He had hooked his fingers around the mask at his throat without noticing. "When's that going away?" Neah asked but Allen shook his head.

"It's not going anywhere." Allen said quietly but he let it go and he moved his hand back to the cover of the book. There was a tense pause before Neah forced himself to relax and he ruffled his hair. Allen smiled too but the cool metal against his skin burned in the back of his mind. He could feel the Crowned Clown's opinions and it always burned every time Neah touched Allen. It was beginning to get a little annoying and Allen as trying to convince it that Neah was not a danger to his health but was having little progress. It seemed to go beyond the fact that Neah was a Noah, though, but Allen still did not understand the warning his Innocents screamed.

"I've got to go but I'll check on you in another couple of hours, okay?"

"Okay." Allen nodded. Neah got up and looked at Allen's increasingly messy floor in disgust before he trudged through it to the door. Allen watched him go before he reluctantly opened the war book and started reading.

XXX

Cross was standing against the door across from Allen's room but Neah didn't acknowledge him until after he shut the door behind him with a tiny click. "Fantastic choice of literature for a kid there, Neah." Cross commented dryly. Neah just walked past him further down the street. He needed to go out again, he was getting closer to finding out what Road had been talking about and he didn't have time for Cross.

"Why not? It's a brilliant book."

"If I remember correctly, you didn't sleep for a week after reading that and you were an adult at the time." Cross said and Neah stopped dead then wheeled around.

"I did not!" He said indignantly. Of course, he had and Cross knew it but he needed to deny it on principle. Cross shrugged and took another drag on his cigarette.

"If he has nightmares, you're going to be the one that has to deal with him."

"H-he's not going to have nightmares."

"You don't sound so sure."

"Oh, shut up, Cross. It's fine. He'll be fine."

"Hm," Cross snorted and Timcampy, who was on his head, fluttered his wings defiantly. "Pick up some more cigarettes while you're out."

"I got you a whole new pack a week ago!" Neah protested.

"And I'm out now." Cross tossed the empty box to Neah who caught it and glared back at Cross before he went on his way.

"Bloody unhealthy habit," He muttered under his breath and he dropped the empty box into a flower pot.

"By the way, when did the Idiot Apprentice become so interested in reading?" Cross asked but Neah shrugged without looking back.

"He's bored out of him mind. Maybe it's a sign that he's ready to learn magic?"

"I'll be the judge of that." Cross snapped. Neah just ignored him and opened a door to Earth.

"I'll see you later, then." He said before he vanished and the connection shattered behind him. Cross flicked the spent butt to the ground and stepped on it out of habit. He had not left the Ark in a week and he was starting to get a mild case of cabin fever. He had nothing to do and he was rapidly growing tired of depending on Neah for everything. Although, Allen could make an Ark door anywhere he wanted Cross was too proud to ask his apprentice for a favor. Well, he could always intimidate Allen but Cross didn't really want to do that either. For some reason he liked the idea even less than the first one. Cross was bored out of his mind, same as Allen. Maybe he really should start teaching Allen magic? That would certainly be interesting to say the least.

* * *

**In case you haven't noticed, I am a fan of AllenXRoad. I like AllenXLou Fa as well but I love them as an exorcist/Noah pairing. But I'm still trying not to make this sappily romantic so pairings aren't really going to play a big role. :P**

**I'm not a fan of AllenXLenalee though, mostly because I don't like Lenalee that much. (no offense to her fans) But I think she goes great with Lavi…or Kanda until Kanda got Alma. So…what are your favorite pairings? ('m not making any promises.) **


	21. Bookman?

**Bleh... Abarat Fox got sick so she typed this up while she was stuck in bed. :P My pain and suffering=fast updates.

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**"Magic is something that all living things have the potential to do. It is only a matter of understanding the basics then going from there. Everyone has their own style that allows them to use powers unique to them. The Earl uses his magic to create and control Akuma among other things. I am better at the restoration of things, such as Timcampy, and at opening small dimensional pockets, like where I stored Grave of Maria."

"Is that how the Ark works?" Allen asked and he paused in the action of pulling Tim's cheeks to look up at Cross, who was sitting casually in a chair several feet away.

"What did I say about interrupting me, Idiot Apprentice?"

"S-sorry, Master."

"No, the Ark works using a different system. Now, like I was saying, magic can be used in a variety of ways." Cross took a sip of red wine and he set the glass down on top of Neah's war novel. When he had come into Allen's room, the boy had been reading it. His eyes had been as large as saucers and he had been shaking slightly so Cross had snatched it out of his hands and tossed it onto a nearby desk, safely out of Allen's reach. "But all people have a tendency for certain types of magic. Mostly, it comes down to personality types and what skills you already have." Allen blinked at this. What skills did he already have? He wasn't very much like Cross, and he _defiantly_ was nothing like the Earl so he had no idea what his powers would be.

Allen looked back at Timcampy before he let the golem slip from his hands. Magic… Allen still didn't understand it but he had seen many of the things his master spoke of and so he was fairly sure it existed. "So…do I need to learn the basics first?" Allen asked. Cross had his normal, unreadable expression on but when Allen looked at him he got the feeling that Cross was amused.

"No," Cross said.

"Then what-?"

"First, you need to learn the history." Cross said. His words reminded Allen of something but he wasn't sure what. "You need to understand why it's a secret first." An image appeared in Allen's head then and it was accompanied by a sharp pain.

"Ah!" Allen hissed and he clamped his hands to his temples. A teenage boy with hair was red as Cross's and an eye patch danced across Allen's mind. Then he was followed by an old man with dark shadows under his eyes.

"_We're Bookmen, we record history." _A young voice said in the back of his mind.

"Bookman?" Allen repeated. That was so familiar…was it someone from the Order? More images flashed by and the pain in Allen's head intensified. Who were those people? Why had Allen started remembering something?

"_We travel the world and we record everything."_ The Old Man was saying.

"_You guy's mean nothing to me…You're just pieces of history to be recorded." _The young voice again…

"_Allen you're-"_ A woman's voice now?

"_Allen!" _

"_Destroyer of time."_ Who-what-the hell was that?

"_Allen-kun?"_

"_Moyashi!"_ Was that Kanda?

"_Allen?"_

"_Allen?"_ Who were these people?

"_Allen!"_

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Allen screamed as the pain reached a point where the corners of his vision were going white. His fingernails dug into the skin above his ears and he felt blood well up. "I don't understand! Who are you?" What were these images? Allen had wanted his old memories back but not like this. This was painful…this was scary.

"_Bookman will be-"_

"_Getting worse-"_ What was getting worse?

"_Welcome home, Allen-kun!"_ Home? Where was home?

"_He's a traitor." _Who were those people?

"_Allen is-!"_

"_No!"_

"_Because you're my friend!" _

"_Should just kill him."_

"_Recording…history." _The red-haired boy again. La…vi?

"Stop it!" Allen screamed again and he brought his clawed hands down to his neck and tore through his skin. Why wouldn't they shut up? Allen didn't understand them! "Please!" More voices and images pounded against his skull. "JUST STOP!"

"_I hope you die!"_

"_No! Allen!"_

"_I won't let you."_

"_Damn it!"_

"_Wake up!" _

Out of nowhere, a fist made contact with Allen's right cheek and the images ended as quickly as they had started. The pain stayed though, like someone had scratched the inside of his skull with a knife. Allen was momentarily dazed from the hit then he slowly turned his head to look at his Master. When had Cross come over? And why was he looking at Allen like that? Had it been anyone else then Allen would have thought it was a look of concern.

"Master," Allen said and his voice shook. "What's happening to me?" He wanted desperately to be reassured but before he could say anything else, Allen's eyes rolled back in his skull and he fell back in a dead faint. Timcampy flew forward and touched Allen's bleeding cheek gingerly but the boy gave no response. For his part, Cross was at a loss. He had just been talking to Allen then Allen had put his heads to his head and muttered 'Bookman' before he started screaming and clawing at his face a second later. Was it some sort of fit?

Well, whatever it was, Neah was going to have a lot of explaining to do when he got back.

XXX

Damn, these people made no effort to be hidden, did they? Neah could have tracked them down in his sleep. At the moment, he was sitting in a café patio across the street from them with no disguise other than a thick overcoat and a top hat and still not a single one of them had spared him a glance! Well, perhaps the Bookman had but the rest of the exorcists were just oblivious. It was kind of pathetic. They even had a little kid with them! You would think that they would have been a little more careful! That was just irresponsible.

Oh well. Neah just needed to wait until the Bookman was alone so the stupidity of the rest of the group would only work to his advantage. They were checking into a hotel, and Neah could see clearly through the glass as the man at the desk handed them two keys. Presumably, Lenalee and Timothy would share a room while Lavi and Bookman took the other. There was no way anyone in their right mind would put Lavi and Lenalee together with her creeper brother to worry about. It was really a pity; Neah could use some entertainment on his little stakeout.

Neah perked up slightly as the younger three in the group started chattering in a cluster before they made for the door and left while Bookman stayed behind. There was no way this could be that easy, could it? It might be a trap but Neah could fight his way out of any trap, he was far stronger now than he had been on their last encounter.

Lavi, Lenalee, and Timothy had disappeared down the street for several minutes before Neah got up and left the café without paying. His waitress had already forgotten about his existence so no one stopped him. Neah moved across the street like a flickering shadow, no one noticed him and people just walked around him. Another one of Neah's handy little tricks.

The bell over the door jangled when Neah walked in and the man at the front desk's head snapped up but his eyes glazed over when he spotted the Noah. Neah straightened up and shedder his coat and hat before he strode over to the desk and glanced at the man's nametag. "Jason," Neah said. "A group of people checked in a few minutes ago. What room did you give to the old man?"

"Eight….teen." Jason said. Neah nodded before he swept off down a hallway. The second he was gone, Jason blinked and rubbed his eyes. Had he just dozed off? He had forgotten what he had been doing. Maybe he needed more sleep?

XXX

Bookman had, in fact, noticed the Noah across the street but he had said nothing. Instead, he had just let the rest of the group leave to see if they could find out anything about the seemingly nonexistent history of Allen and Mana while he stayed behind without giving an excuse. Lavi had made a joke about his age and Bookman had made a mental note to kick him next time he saw his apprentice. Uppity little brat. He had made his way to his room and sat down on one of the beds facing the door with his eyes closed as if meditating. The Noah wanted something and Bookman would wait to see exactly what that was.

Sure enough, a mere five minutes after Bookman had gone to his room, the door clicked open and the boy that had been Allen Walker was standing in the opening. Bookman opened his eyes and saw that he looked the same as he had last seen him, only now the Noah's left eye had been unwrapped and it stared blindly at him. He must have been confident in his abilities then if he so easily let Bookman record that weak spot. Neah must not have felt that he was in any danger of being attacked from the left.

Bookman found himself unintentionally scanning the Fourteenth's face for some hint of Allen. It was foolish, of course, Allen's mind had been undoubtedly crushed but the Bookman still felt the need to look. Of course, Allen had never smirked like that and he had never let off such a murderous aura. This person was a Noah, nothing more, nothing less. "Hello Bookman," The Noah finally said.

"Hello, Fourteenth."

"I'm Neah," Neah corrected and he stepped into the room uninvited. The door swung shut behind him with a bang.

"What do you want?"

"I have some questions for you, Bookman."

"And why should I answer them?"

"Because, Mr. Bookman." Neah said although the glint of irritation in his eyes was not missed by Bookman. "For every one of _my_ questions that you answer, I'll answer one of _yours._" An interesting deal but the Bookman made no move to accept or reject it. "Have you forgotten that I know everything about Allen's past? I was there, if you remember. And I can tell you all about me, my goals, and my betrayal of the Earl." Neah grinned.

"I accept." Bookman said after a pause. It would be an interesting thing to record, the questions Neah would ask as well as the information Neah could give him.

"Awesome." Neah sat himself down on Lavi's bed and made himself comfortable. But Bookman could see that the Noah was as tensely coiled as a snake and ready to strike at any moment. Wise, but it was a little odd to see a person so young be so suspicious of a neutral party. But Neah wasn't young, was he? "First," Neah said. "I want you to tell me _everything_ that you know about me."

Bookman blinked. Neah had sought him out to hear about _himself_? "You are the Fourteenth Noah, Neah, The Musician, The Pianist, and The Destroyer. You are the younger brother of Mana Walker and Allen Walker's uncle. You also appeared to have some sort of relationship with General Marian Cross." Neah curled back his lip at that and snorted but Bookman continued. "Sometime after your awaking, you attacked the Earl in an attempt to take his place. He emerged as the victor; however you managed to slaughter everyone except for The Ninth, Road Camelot, and the Earl himself. You fled the Ark with your brother until your death. At some point, you planted your memories into Allen Walker although you remained in an inactive state until he went onto the Ark and restored it using the piano. His transformation into you was completed after the Black Order put him on trial for heresy and removed his Innocents."

"That's it?" Neah pressed.

"Yes."

"Che," Neah snorted and he put a finger up to his chin. There was a pause while Neah seemed lost in thought before he glared at Bookman with a surprising amount of dislike. "Well, Bookman? It's your turn to ask me something." There was a multitude of things that Bookman was curious about but he didn't know how many questions he would get. So would it be better to find out more about Allen or Neah? Allen was apparently dead and gone now so Neah was the logical thing but…what if Allen was still around?

"Is Allen Walker dead?" Bookman asked and Neah arched an eyebrow as if he thought it was a stupid question. He raised a finger to his temple and tapped the side of his head.

"He's not in there. He's no longer in this world." Neah smiled coldly. "What do you know about the awakening of the Noah genes? More specifically, about the creation of new Noahs?"

"The Noah clan is made up of thirteen original members." The Bookman said carefully, "But it would appear that new Noahs can be created, as you yourself are an example of this. It is unknown what exactly the Noah Clan truly is, but the current Noah do not appear to be reincarnations of the original ones."

"But how can new Noah be created?" Neah cut in. It was his second question and an unspoken agreement that Bookman would get two as well passed between them.

"That is unknown."

"Damn." Neah rubbed the side of his head and frowned. He seemed frustrated by this answer and Bookman wondered what he had been searching for.

"If it is your desire to destroy the Earl, why do you not join the Black Order?"

"Oh yes, I just love to get real chummy with the people that imprisoned me and tortured my host. That kind of behavior I find to be so very endearing." Neah said sarcastically and he gave Bookman a look of disgust. "I want to destroy the Order just as much as I want to destroy the Earl, thank you very much."

"Why do you want to take the Earl's place?"

"Because the Earl is a god damn fucking psychopath and the Black Order doesn't know what they've gotten themselves into." Neah tilted his head at Bookman and smirked. Bookman got the feeling that he wasn't telling everything but he said nothing. He would record Neah's answers and wait to see how the reality played out. "You know anything about magic?" Neah asked suddenly. Bookman studied him for a few seconds before he went ahead with the meager information he had on the subject, well aware that the Noah would be dissatisfied.

"It was used frequently many thousands of years ago; however, it fell out of popularity with the rise of Christianity. It was practiced mostly in Europe and it had a massive following. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that says it ever even existed in the first place and all most all recordings of it are mere speculation. If it wasn't for the Earl and for the late General Cross I would tell you it was a myth." Bookman said. What an odd question, why was Neah interested in magic? The Noah snorted then shrugged, clearly as dissatisfied as Bookman had known he would be.

"He covered his ass well." Neah muttered under his breath, so quietly that Bookman could hardly hear him. _Is he talking about the Earl?_ "Next question, Old Man."

"Why did you choose Allen to be your host?" Bookman asked and his mind flickered to Lavi. His apprentice had thought of Allen as a younger brother and Bookman wanted to know the reasons behind the Noah's choice. But Neah just snickered and gave Bookman a half amused, half disbelieving look.

"And here I thought Lavi was the failure. Why do you give a fuck, Bookman?" Then Neah covered his face with a hand. "No…don't answer that, I don't want to owe you another question." Neah brought his hands down from his eyes but he still covered his mouth but Bookman knew he was barely suppressing laughter. "I _didn't_ choose Allen. I wasn't conscious of anything at the time, I was just presented to him and I latched on to his mind. Kind of like a leech." Neah seemed slightly revolted about comparing himself to a blood-sucking insect but the analogy worked. "What does the Order plan to gain from looking into Allen's past?" Neah was serious again and his gaze hardened.

"They feel that if they understand Allen, they will be able to understand you and your motives."

"I am not Allen. Who he was has nothing to do with who I am." Neah said coldly. "Feel free to look but don't expect to find out about me."

"Do you have the Crowned Clown?" Bookman asked. Neah blinked a few times before he reached down and tugged the black glove off his left hand then held it up. It was pale and unmarred, without even the slightest hint of Innocents.

"I hate that stuff." Neah said. "And it hated me. We wouldn't work together ever." There was a long pause while the two regarded each other until Neah's head snapped to stare at the door. A second later, Bookman heard it too. The sound of footsteps.

"Hey Panda!" Lavi shouted. Neah jumped off the bed and ran to the window with a speed that startled Bookman. The Noah tore off the latch and launched himself out of the hotel. He hit the ground running and he was down the street before Bookman even had a chance to stand up. When Lavi swung the door open, Bookman was at the window, trying to repair the latch. "Grandpa-Panda!" Lavi said as Timothy and Lenalee crowded either side of him. Bookman frowned and looked over his shoulder to see all of them grinning like lunatics. "We found something!"

XXX

Neah returned to the Ark panting slightly and kind of excited. That had certainly been fun, more fun than Neah had experienced in a long time. It was a pity that Bookman didn't know that much about the Noah but it had been a long shot; Neah really hadn't expected to get that much information anyway. It was a real pity that Bookman didn't know anything about magic, Neah would have loved to have any information about it especially since no one else would tell him. Eh, so long as Cross never found out he had asked he would be in the all clear.

"Neah." Neah blinked at the voice and he turned his head to see Cross standing in the doorway to Allen's room looking furious. Well that was a bad sign.

"Oh, shit." Neah sighed. "What's happened now?"

* * *

**You know, I would really love to get 200 reviews on this and I'm really close to that number right now. I kind of thought about giving some sort of incentive but for the life of me I can't figure out what that incentive should be. Many people offer one-shots to be offered to the person who is the 200th reviewer but what if someone requests something I really don't want to right about? Eh, whatever. : **


	22. FALL

**Some people commented that in the last chapter, Bookman didn't seem to know too much about Magic but I would like to say that both Neah and Bookman were giving the most cryptic answers as possible~! :P **

**AND YAY! 200 reviews! I offered to write a one-shot for the 200th but she/he never got back to me D:  


* * *

**"How the hell could this possibly be my fault?" Allen made a slight moaning noise and the voice fell silent. Seconds later, he felt a hand brush his forehead gently before it drew back. "There is no way I could have known something like this could have happened!" Neah whispered now. "I don't even know what exactly happened!" _Shut up, Neah, I'm sleeping._ Allen thought. Being woken up by Neah's ever irritated voice was beginning to get on Allen's nerves. No matter how musical and soothing Neah could be when he wanted to, when he was irritated your eardrums would hum. Painfully. Allen wondered what would happen when Neah was furious.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it had something to do with-"

"Shh!" Neah shushed Cross urgently. Allen would have wondered what Cross was about to say had he not been so busy trying to be asleep. "My point is there's no way I could have predicted this!" There was a long pause.

"Why now?" _Why don't the two of you talk about me elsewhere?_ Allen thought angrily.

"I don't know…maybe _you_ said something that jostled his memory? And his synchronization rate has gone up; maybe it's the Innocent's memory?"

"Innocent's memory?"

"Innocents are sentient, some of them form memories. The Crowned Clown defiantly has memories, it might have shown Allen clips from their past."

"Can that happen?"

"Apparently." Neah paused and Allen imagined him smoothing back his hair. "Maybe. I have no fucking clue. Look, Cross, the Crowned Clown is special. It's a part of Allen. It's highly likely that it remembers things from when it was activated and it's trying to talk to him. Or I could be wrong and he's just seeing his own memories."

"I thought you said-"

"He has some of his memories but they've been fragmented. I don't know what he knows for sure but he should be able to recall most of the people he was friends with. I think."

"You think?" Allen imagined Cross looking irritated and Neah averting his eyes and trying not to look guilty.

"Well, I'm not positive which memories he's chosen to believe in, they were scattered at best."

"I'm sleeping, Neah." Allen finally said without opening his eyes. Why couldn't they see that their talking was bothering him? All he wanted to do was fall asleep. But now that he was awake enough the throbbing pain from his old injuries was mixing with the sharp pain in his skull. Would Neah give him another pain killer?

"Allen!" Neah yelped and Allen felt a weight next to him on the bed. "Are you okay? What happened to you? What did you see? How do you feel? What did you remember? Was it anything important?" Allen grit his teeth as Neah's overly excited voice destroyed all his remaining vestiges of sleep.

"Neah." Allen said and Neah stopped talking. "One. Question. At. A. Time." Allen glared at Neah, still irritated about being woken up and it pissed him off even more to see Neah barely holding in a snicker. "And could I get a pain killer?" Allen asked. Neah blinked before he nodded and got up with a small smile.

"Sure thing, Allen." Neah said. He shot a meaningful glance at Cross before he disappeared out of Allen's room and left Cross, Timcampy, and Allen alone. Allen blinked and rubbed his eyes before he sat up as best he could. He put a hand to his face and he felt a bandage over either cheek. He had torn open his own face and now he had one more injury that needed to be healed.

"Hey." Cross said.

"Hi." Allen said and his hand dropped to grab onto his mask. A picture of Cross's face before he had blacked out floated across his mind's eye but he pushed it off before he looked over at his Master. Cross looked uncaring and bored same as always and it relived Allen in a way. If Cross had still had that worried expression then Allen would have felt frightened. It was almost reassuring to have Cross look emotionless.

"Don't think this will stop your training, Idiot Apprentice." Cross finally said. Allen blinked and he felt equally relived and terrified.

"N…no, Master."

"Good." Cross flicked his hair over his shoulder before he walked over to Allen's bed. Allen shrank back and made himself look as small as possible but Cross just took a thick book out from his coat and dropped it next to Allen.

It was gold plated and there were tiny animals with jeweled eyes covering it. There was a bunch of writing in a language Allen couldn't read across the cover and the language looked like a cross between Russian, Greek, Mandarin, and Latin. The papers inside where yellowed and crispy and there was a heavy black iron latch that bound it shut. Tentatively, Allen reached out a hand and touched it, not sure what to expect.

The cover of the book was harder than any metal Allen had ever come across but also warm and the pages rustled slightly when Allen put his hand on the cover. It almost seemed alive. The book was beautiful and old and Allen wondered why Cross had such a thing with him. It didn't seem like his Master's type of thing.

"Put your thumb on the lock." Cross instructed and Allen looked up at his unreadable expression. What was going on? After a few seconds, Allen looked back at the book before he pulled it onto his lap. Allen held it so that the latch was facing him and he noticed a tiny keyhole in the center of it. "Other one." Cross said quickly as Allen moved to touch the Crowned Clown against it.

"Master?" Allen questioned but Cross did not change his expression.

"Other hand." Cross repeated and Allen pressed the thumb of his right hand against the latch feeling strangely exposed. Why? It was just a book; Allen shouldn't feel the need to use the Crowned Clown just to touch it. The latch was colder than the rest of the book and it smarted slightly were Allen touched it. "I, Marian Cross," Allen looked up at Cross and furrowed his brow. "Give permission to Allen Walker to read this book."

"Eh?" Allen asked as the book went hot under his hand. The words on the cover twisted and morphed from the strange symbols and into the word 'FALL'.

"-And all its contents are now, by right, his alone." The cover gleamed this time, and the golden animals faded away to be replaced with royal blue leather painted with silver, white, and purple swirls. Only the papers within and the heavy iron latch remained unchanged. "And is now his to do with as he wishes." Cross finished. The swirls twisted into intricate patterns and designs then became lined with gold before they finally settled.

Allen stared down at the book, FALL, in bewilderment. He took his thumb away from the latch and held it up to the light so he could better examine the hypnotic swirls that now covered it.

"Um," Allen said and he tore his eyes away from FALL. "Master, what, uh…what's this?"

"FALL." Cross said unhelpfully. Allen waited for more but his Master declined to add anything.

"What's FALL about?"

"That is the complete history of magic and of its practitioners."

"Oh," Allen said. "The cover changed." He stated and he traced a silver swirl with one of his fingers. "Is that going to happen often or just this once?"

"Only one person in the world may read FALL at a time. When it passes between people, the cover of FALL changes to reflect the new reader's soul." Allen remembered the dangerous and royal animals on the cover of FALL and decided that they did fit his Master's soul pretty well. "It will only change when either you pass it to someone else or your soul changes shape."

"So, I guess I should read this then." Allen muttered. So his soul was blue and swirly? That was kind of a weird thing to wrap his mind around. It wasn't bland and it was chaotic. What did that say about Allen?

"Yes, Idiot Apprentice."

"You can't read it anymore, Master?" Allen asked. Cross's eyes flickered to the cover before he slowly shook his head. "Then what does that look like?" Allen asked and he pointed to the title of the book.

"Gibberish." Cross shrugged. So then did he see the strange symbols that Allen had seen while it had belonged to Cross? That idea was both interesting and disturbing. Allen looked at the book that reflected his soul before he hugged it to his chest, suddenly embarrassed to have it exposed for the world to see. It was strange to think that he was looking at his own soul and it made his spine twinge. But that might have just been the pain.

"What about that book Neah wants me to read?" Allen asked after a long pause. Allen was still tracing the pattern on FALL with his eyes and he wondered what it meant when some of the swirls bled together.

"You can have that back when you're older." Cross frowned and he actually looked disapproving. "Much older." He added for good measure. Allen thought he caught some deeper meaning in those words and he furrowed his brow but Cross gave nothing away. Allen was kind of relived not to have to read Neah's book, anyway. It was incredibly violent.

Allen touched the latch of FALL and he tugged at it but it would not give. Well this was great, how was Allen supposed to read it if he didn't hove the key? "Master, you haven't given me the key."

"Press your thumb against it," Cross instructed. Allen ground his teeth together at the repeated command but he did so. He knew all too well what would happen if he disobeyed Cross. "Tell it your name."

"Master?"

"Do it." Cross left no room for an argument so, albeit reluctantly, Allen looked back down at the book and cleared his throat.

"I am Allen Walker." Allen said finally. There was a long pause while nothing happened and Allen started to feel stupid. Was Cross just testing him to see how gullible he would be? Well, Cross would get a good laugh, then. Allen had actually believed for a second that maybe this magic-stuff was more than a joke. It was an interesting trick with the cover, though.

Then the latch disappeared.

"Whoa!" Allen yelped and he retracted his hand. FALL fell open to a page with a rather detailed drawing of some sort of monster in a giant wave swatting a village with its claw while people ran away screaming. Allen caught the words 'Flood' and 'Noah Clan' before the book fell out of his lap and slammed shut.

"Idiot Apprentice," Cross said and he sounded a little exasperated, "It would behoove you to pay attention to what I say. And to actually believe what I say." Allen's eyes were wide and his jaw had gone slack. He picked up the book again and noticed that the latch had reappeared. "Magic is very much real, the sooner you get that through your thick skull the sooner we can get on with it."

"Y-yes, Master." Allen said

"FALL will close and seal itself every time you lose contact with it and if anyone but you tries to read it, all the pages will be blank. Even if they had ownership over it in the past." Cross answered Allen's unspoken question. "This was the best was to protect it."

"What if I…" Allen started then he trailed off. That was a dark thing to think, why had his mind gone there?

"What if you what?"

"What if I die without giving it to anyone else?" Allen asked and he looked up at Cross's frown evenly. "What happens then?"

"Then no one would ever be able to read it again." Cross said. There was a long pause while they regarded each other before Cross whipped his head to look at the door. Allen blinked and looked over too but he saw nothing out on the ordinary. "Neah's here." Cross said and Allen blinked. How had Cross known that? "Hide FALL."

"Oh, um." Allen said and he looked around for a place to stick the book and he only just managed to shove it under one of his pillows before the door swung open. "Neah!" Allen said out of habit and Cross lifted an eyebrow. He had backed away from Allen so that he was in the shadows when the door opened and he was out of Allen's line of sight. Allen's reaction to Neah was…interesting to say the least. Cross had not realized how attached Allen had become to Neah in such a short period of time. They had only known each other for just over a month and a half!

"Hey Allen." Neah said and it was clear that he was just barely hiding his fury. He had a glass of water in one hand and his other was balled up around what Allen hoped was pain killers. "Glad you're in a better mood." He said as he walked in.

"Likewise." Allen said and he took the glass of water and medicine from Neah. Why was he angry? Allen felt a little guilty and nervous for having left Neah out of the conversation and for hiding FALL. But Neah just forced a smile while Allen drained the water and he took the glass back before he stepped back.

"Why the bloody hell were the pills in my piano?" Allen heard Neah hiss to Cross and he frowned at the two of them. That was why Neah was pissed? But it was a rather good question and it did explain why Neah had taken such a long time.

"What did I say about cursing around him?" Cross retorted and Neah made a growling noise in his throat. Allen coughed and looked from one to the other. He was almost completely positive that he was missing something here but he didn't bring anything up. Instead, he just hooked his fingers around his mask and watched the inevitable argument play out. Hey, free entertainment wasn't something he was going to complain about.

* * *

**Hey~ To the people that say they know what I'm planning next, why don't you tell me~? That way I can either smirk and say, "Feh, so far off" or be all "How did they know?" D: **


	23. Too much of anything is never good

**Yay~! New chappie~! **

**Sorry this took so long. ^^; School's being a bitch. So enjoy reading Cross and Neah wage verbal warfare, Foxie here is going to take a nap.  


* * *

**"God damn it Cross! I know it was you!" Neah really had abandoned all traces of subtlety, hadn't he? Their fight had been raging for almost forty minutes now and Allen was just now starting to feel the effects of the pain killers. It almost compensated for the headache brought on because Neah was shouting now, and his voice was at a pitch that made him feel disoriented.

Neah's fists were balled like he was just holding himself back from killing Cross, who was looking remarkably calm for being so close to an enraged Noah. If Neah had ever made that face at Allen, he would have been markedly terrified out of his wits. Although, Neah had been furious with him on one occasion, which Allen now referred to as the 'Kanda-incident', but Allen had been equally furious then so it didn't count.

"You really seem to have an incredibly hard time understanding simple English." Cross noted. "Or is your vocabulary such that you are limited to cursing only?" Timcampy, who was sitting on Allen's good knee, flapped his wings in agreement at this statement and Allen blinked down at him before he looked back over at the argument raging on. Allen was secretly routing for Neah to win this one while Timcampy was openly routing for Cross.

That was strange, when Allen looked down at Timcampy his vision had blurred into a swirling mass of colors. He rubbed his eyes as he turned back to watch the fight and when he opened them again the world was back to normal. Although there was a little blurriness around the edges.

Neah closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose and Allen knew that he was counting down from ten in his head so that he would not lose his temper. Then he opened his eyes and promptly lost his temper. "_NO ONE_ FUCKING MESSES WITH _MY_ PIANO!" Dark Matter cracked around Neah's feet and his hair and clothes stirred as though there was a breeze. Allen felt a pinching feeling in his arm and he forced the activation of his Innocents to stop. The second the Crowned Clown felt Dark Matter, its first instinct was to attack. "If you wanted to stall then there are a number of things you should have done _first!_" Neah continued. The Dark Matter around him had settled down marginally but there were still tendrils of darkness drifting around his feet.

"Oh? Who said I was stalling?" Cross asked. Neah's jaw tightened and Cross smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about." _Master is going to be killed._ Allen thought. He probably should have felt panicked at that thought but his head was too fuzzy from the drugs. He was getting hungry, though. After Cross was dead, would Neah go get him something to eat?

Much to everyone's surprise, Neah actually seemed to calm down. Allen, or his Innocence, could sense the barely controlled Dark Mater writhing within him, meaning he was still seething. Neah was beyond furious but he was actually making an effort to reign in his emotions. How very unusual.

"Cross," Neah said as calmly as he could but his voice sounded flat because of the effort. Strange, when Neah's voice went flat it sounded extremely familiar but Allen couldn't figure out why. "I believe we should carry this argument elsewhere." His entertainment was leaving? Pity, Allen liked the climactic finish where Neah got so pissed everything breakable in the room would shatter and he would stalk off, only to then come back later to fix everything and pretend to not be embarrassed. Cross would just sort of lurk around and then when Neah finally got around to apologizing to Allen for breaking his stuff, he would appear out of nowhere and they would start arguing again.

Even more surprising was that Cross actually nodded in agreement! Allen blinked and swayed slightly as he considered this new development. It was getting difficult for him to think, everything was going fuzzy as the painkillers worked through his system. Allen wondered if Neah had given him a stronger dosage, the last time he had taken the pills the side effect had been nowhere near so potent.

While he struggled through the haze taking over his mind, Allen squinted over at Cross and Neah as they walked to the door, still glaring daggers. He was hungry, and he wanted to ask for food but his throat felt fuzzy and his tongue was leaden. "Uh, tsuuh, mmm." He grumbled and they both looked back at him but Allen couldn't make out there expressions. Damn, it was getting hard to think. "Caabribaso food?"

"Food?" Neah repeated and Allen could just make out the confusion in his voice. Why had the colors of the room started bleeding together? It was disconcerting and Allen wanted it to stop but, for some strange reason, he just grinned and giggled. Is brain wasn't working right and it felt like it was slowly turning into sludge.

"Uh-huh." Allen mumbled as the wild giggling stopped and he realized that his sides hurt. His ribs were still broken, he needed to stop laughing but everything just seemed so damn funny!

"Um, Allen?" Neah said, "Are you okay?"

"Uhhu, yeah, 'ummm jus fi...e," Allen's whole body was swaying at this point and he brought one of the corners of his mouth into a smile, as the other half was numb. Then the world went gray and he fell backwards so he was lying down, asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Neah stared at him in alarm before he very cautiously made his way to Allen and checked his pulse. It was normal but the worried feeling in his chest did not lessen at all. What the hell had just happened? And how had he not noticed that Allen was slowly going brain-dead while he was arguing?

Probably because he was arguing.

"What did you do to him?"

"Me?" Neah growled and he shot a glare at Cross, who had migrated over as well. "This isn't _my_ fault! You were the one fucking around with his pills!" Neah peeled back Allen's eyelid and he was a little disturbed to see how dilated his pupil was. There was no way he had accidently drugged up Allen! Was there?

"Evidently you messed up the dosage." Neah noticed that Cross had leaned over slightly as well to see what the matter with him was. Huh, and Cross said _he _was the one that had gone all soft for Allen? Clearly Cross was the one that let the brat work his way under his skin, not Neah! But Neah wasn't just going to let that last comment slide. Cross had basically said he was incompetent!

"Are you kidding me? Two pills! You said to give him two pills, and I gave him two god-damn-mother-fucking-pills! You're just the moronic bastard that-OW! The hell was that for?" Neah clamped his hands over the rising bump on his head where Cross had elbowed him and blinked back the tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "He can't hear me!"

"Yes, he can. Subconsciously." Timcampy nuzzled against the side of Allen's face before to fluttered onto Cross's shoulder and made a whirring sound. "And you gave him two pills a few hours ago, right?"

"Right."

"Then you gave him too many. The old ones are still in his system." Neah shut his eyes and exhaled very loudly in frustration. "He's had an overdose."

"You know what, Cross? That kind of information is something you might want to provide me with _before_ I give him. Two. More. God. Damned. Pills."

"So this is my fault now, is it?"

"Obviously. _You_ are the one that has the fucking medical knowledge."

"So you're blaming me for your incompetence?"

Neah exhaled loudly and he balled up his fists before he gave Cross an icy glare. "I really think you might want to rephrase that, Cross."

"Do I?" Cross goaded. There was a few seconds while Neah just glared before he let out a truly terrifying feral snarl and the argument started up again.

XXX

Bookman was underwhelmed by the discovery that Lavi had made. Not because it was insignificant, but rather because after his talk with Neah, it just seemed irrelevant. Lavi had no idea that Bookman had met with the Noah, however, and so he was left to assume that Bookman just didn't think that his discovery was worthwhile and that made him act like a surly brat. Lenalee, who was getting far too close to Lavi in Bookman's opinion, sensed Lavi's unhappiness and was now, in turn, was now unhappy as well. All in all, only Timothy was still excited about the discovery as seen by his inability to stop squirming in his seat.

The exorcists were in a dank bar, all sitting around a round table while giving the aging man they had discovered a wide berth. He was slightly drunk and he looked a right foul mess. Bookman was fairly certain that he had something very wrong with his mind so he was borderline psychopathic, but it was very hard to tell how severe it was under the drunkenness. Regardless of the man's mental health, he was still a person that had known Allen as a child and he could help them discover more about their friend.

His name was Cosmo, the clown that had killed Mana's dog in a fit of jealous rage and the man responsible for a good many of the bruises left on Allen when he worked at the circus. Not that they knew that, as far as they were concerned he was just a former clown that had been fired for drunkenness and had information on Allen that he was willing to give them…for a price. Which had been negotiated and half of it had been given up front. Cosmo would get the other half after they found out everything that he knew. Bookman was starting to wonder what, if anything, Neah would have been able to tell him about Allen's past. It would be interesting to catalog both entries then compare them side by side.

"Um, Mr. Cosmo?" Lenalee asked nervously and she slid on her seat so that she and Lavi were almost brushing against each other. Meaning they were far too close. Bookman should have probably taken the seat between them.

"Huh?" Cosmo slurred and he turned his bloodshot brown eyes at her. Well at her chest, anyway. Lavi slid his hand into hers and gave it a comforting squeeze before he dropped it, pointedly ignoring Bookman's glare.

"You were going to tell us about Allen?" Lenalee prompted in a squeaky voice. She looked frightened and vulnerable which Cosmo seemed to enjoy far more than he should have. There was no question as to what he was thinking about at the moment and even Bookman was slightly disgusted. He was greasy and his shaggy, graying hair and wrinkled skin was a clear indication that he was old enough to be her father. Cosmo leered at Lenalee's chest for a few seconds but when his eyes started tracing her thighs Bookman and Lavi cleared their throats at the same time and Cosmo finally tore his eyes off of Lenalee's body. He looked completely unapologetic about his actions, however, and Lenalee glowered at him.

"Right, him." Cosmo snorted. "He calls himself Allen now? Funny, I never thought the name would stick. Thought the brat had some pride."

"He wasn't originally Allen?" Lavi asked quickly. Firstly because he wanted to know and secondly because Cosmo was staring intently at Lenalee's rather exposed thighs again and he wanted the old pervert to get his eyes off her. Cosmo just snorted and shook his head.

"Naw, he didn't have a name. Not at least one he told anyone. We all called him Red 'cause of his arm, you know? Then that freaky bastard, Man-something, showed up and started working for us. His dog was named Allen and when the mutt died, he adopted Red and named him Allen. Fucking weird thing to do." Cosmo shrugged and rested his chin on the table. Lavi and Lenalee exchanged a series of glances while Timothy just looked confused.

"Allen was named after a dog?" He asked in disbelief.

"Can you tell us where he came from?" Lavi asked at the same time. Timothy frowned at him but the child's complaint was ignored.

"He just showed up one day and started working. Probably was starving or dying or something, he hated everything about us but he was quiet if he got fed. Always snarly, though. Red just never learned how to behave around his superiors." Bookman noticed Lavi's gaze harden slightly at the last remark but he let the faint emotion slide. Lavi was young and foolish, he thought of Allen as a brother despite being a future Bookman. Since Allen was dead, Lavi could care about him. Although Bookman would have to make sure he didn't get any closer to Lenalee, the girl was just trying to use him to fill the place where Allen and Kanda had both been and if Lavi fell in love with her things would get…problematic.

"Do you remember anything else? Where you were when he appeared? How old was he? Did anyone come asking for him?" Lenalee pressed and Cosmo used it as an excuse to start tracing her with his eyes.

"He didn't know his own age, why the hell would I?" Cosmo snorted. "No one wanted him, that's why he came to us. People like that never have anything. He was so reckless because he had nothing to lose. All Red wanted to do was live, he didn't care about anything else." Cosmo shrugged. "There are hundreds of kids like that. Red's nothing special."

Bookman had seen this coming. Allen had mentioned once, in passing, that his arm had been crippled before he got into gambling and he had hinted that his life before Mana had been terrible. Bookman had seen plenty of children that had been abandoned. It wasn't the cruelest thing he had seen people do and in fact, sometimes abandoning them would seem the kinder thing to do so that families would be able to put more energy into caring for other children.

Lavi understood this as well and so he wasn't too shaken up about it but Lenalee and Timothy seemed to be in shock. Timothy's life had never been that great but he had certainly been better off than that. He seemed to have a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Allen had once been so radically different to who he had become. Lenalee, on the other hand, had never known much of anything outside of the Order and so she had never been exposed to the harsh reality of the outside world and so she took it the hardest. She honestly could not comprehend that this was what happened and that it was possible for humans to act like that. Lenalee associated all acts of evil with the Earl and Bookman could see that she was trying to pin this on him in her mind.

"Do you remember where you where when you picked him up?" Lavi asked.

"Yep, we was just outside of Liverpool. But his accent is different; he came from one of the little villages in that area." Cosmo said. "Couldn't tell you which one, though."

"That's it?"

"Yep." Cosmo nodded. Lavi gave him a weak smile and he dropped a small pile of bills on the table before he slid them down to him. Cosmo snatched them up and began counting them while Lavi gestured that it was time for them to leave. Lenalee slipped out of her chair at the same time as Bookman and Timothy while Lavi followed a few seconds later, making sure that Cosmo had no complaints. "Pleasure doing business with you." Cosmo said without looking up from counting his stack.

"Hm," Lavi grunted noncommittally as he ushered Timothy over to Lenalee. The girl took up his hand and he pulled a face at Lavi before allowing himself to be hauled through the bar.

They now had a general location and a description for the young 'Allen'. It was a pity that they did not have a name, though. That would have made their assignment a hell of a lot easier.

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**Imagine what would happen if everyone who has this story on their subscription list all reviewed~? Even just a smilie or one word would be lovely~ **


	24. The Twins and the Book

**Yay! An update! :D**

**Before anyone says anything, I would like to point out that it is very hard to put in action when your main character is incapacitated. I'll be switched to other people's perspectives in the next chapter and things should pick up a bit. Kay~?

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**The Fourteenth was acting smarter now, he was moving unpredictably and he erased his trail well. He knew he was being hunted; it would have been stupid for him not to. It was understandable but no less infuriating. Road had only ever been able to find traces of Ark doors and only long after the rough Noah was long gone. It was infuriating, to have him always be just out of grasp. Well, not just out of grasp. Truth be told they were no were near discovering what he was up to. His movements were random and sporadic at best and even the Earl didn't seem to have any idea where he would appear next.

Why hadn't Road been the one to find Allen? She would have made sure that he had come with them. Tyki had ruined it, now Allen would know to avoid the Noah. If only Road had got to him first, then she would have convinced him that she was on his side and taken him back to the second Ark. That was true, too. Road _was_ on his side and perhaps she was the only person who was.

There was no way that the Fourteenth wasn't corrupting her Allen and Road knew that he wanted to use him for something. His old 'friends' would be out to kill him now, the Order always tried to eliminate anything they felt to be evil without even thinking about what they _should_ do. And Road was not stupid, she knew full well that the rest of her family wanted to kill Allen as well. That meant that Road was the only person looking out for him and she needed to find him soon. He had been with the Fourteenth for one whole month since she found out about it and she wanted him away from him. For Allen's own safety he needed to be away from the Fourteenth.

She was sitting in one of the Ark's many flower pots, fiddling with her Allen doll. She had given him a top hat and she really liked the way it looked on him. She would have to give the real Allen a top hat when she got a hold of him. Road smiled at the thought and she did up the toy's coat buttons affectionately while humming tunelessly under her breath.

Obviously, the real Allen was not a doll; she had too much affection for him to try to pull a stunt like that. But she would try to get him to wear cute things. Allen was a cute person and cute things suited him. People should wear what suited them. At least, that was what Road thought. Road was cute too, and if Allen was cute then they should be cute together. That was how it should work.

"There you are!"A bossy voice shouted and Road pouted. She wanted to be left alone! Road fell onto her back and peered out through the flowers at the upside-down Ark and the legs of Debitto and Jasdero. "Finally found you." Debitto grumbled as he walked forward.

"Nu-uh! You can't see me!" Road said in a childish voice but much to her disappointment, the twins didn't throw a hissy fit like they once would have. She wished that they hadn't gotten all mature; they were so much more fun when they acted like teenagers rather than adults. They had been annoying but they were the closest Noah in age to her at the time of their transformation and they had been her only willing playmates. Now that they were all mature, life had become even stuffier. Would Allen play with her?

"Get up," Debitto reached down into the flowers and grabbed her by her collar. That wasn't going to fly, Road didn't like it when people grabbed her.

"Kyaa! Pervert!" Road shrieked as he started to pull her out. "Sheril! David's taking off my clothes!" Debitto let her go like she had scalded him and retreated several feet. Road popped up from the flowers and was delighted to see him looking furious. He also appeared to be making sure that Sheril was not in the vicinity and he was not in danger of being mutilated by Road's overprotective 'father'.

"Hee hee, Debitto's a pervert!" Jasdero teased and Road grinned at him.

"Yeah, David's so perverted! He flips everyone's skit when he leaves the Ark!" Road added and Jasdero giggled. Road liked Jasdero, he hadn't changed much at all. He was sometimes stupid and annoying but he didn't mind playing her games. Unfortunately, Debitto often decided that Road's idea of a good time was something he and his twin should not be involved with.

"I am not! And I do not!" Debitto shouted, which only made the other two laugh more. Road had put her doll inside her dress, well out of sight of the twins so she climbed out of the pot neither noticed it. Debitto gave her a half-hearted glare but he had already started to calm down. How boring. Road pouted it him but he just looked irritably down at her while Jasdero continued to giggle.

"What's up?" Road asked and she tilted her head to one side. There were very few reasons that the twins would be looking for her and she wanted to get down to business.

"The Earl wants us to go with you, hee hee." Jasdero informed her. He was still getting over from his bout of laughter and his wide eyes were gleaming but he sounded serious. "We're going to go look for _him_ again." Debitto tapped the top of his twin's head without taking his gaze off Road. It was an action he had taken up in place of pointing his gun at him and Road took it to mean that they missed acting like kids.

"Did he find something?" Road asked, suddenly serious as well. They were talking about the Fourteenth, after all. Which meant they were also talking about Allen. But Debitto just shrugged, as if there wasn't anything.

"An Akuma found traces of an Ark door and we have to go check it out." Debitto said and Road deflated slightly. There was a long pause while the three regarded each other before Road looked at her shoes. So there still was nothing, then. For some reason Road felt a little worse every time she found out that there was still no sign of him.

Suddenly, and quiet unexpectedly, Jasdero walked forward and wrapped his arms around Road, pulling her into a tight hug. She was stock still and stiff for a moment before she relaxed and returned the blond's hug. "Road," There was a hint of concern to Debitto's voice. The twin's really were the worst at hiding their emotions but Road didn't mind it. She lifted her head up from Jasdero's shoulder and rested her chin on top of it so she could see Debitto. "You don't always have to do this on your own. Jas and me…we can help you." He looked nervous and uncomfortable and there wasn't a trace of humor about him, either. He meant what he was saying for once.

Road smiled at him. How long had this been on his, their, minds? It must have bothered them to see her searching so desperately for Allen. Road had been hunting down every lead on her own so that none of the other Noah had a chance to get anywhere near Allen. How long had they been working up the courage to tell her that they understood?

"Thanks," She said and Jasdero hugged her a little more tightly before he let her go and moved back to stand by his twin. "Come on, let's get going~!" She said suddenly and she walked between them and grabbed their wrists as she went.

"Okay, Road!" Jasdero said enthusiastically as he skipped backwards so he wouldn't be dragged.

"Road! Lemme go, damn it!" Debitto tried to pull his arm out of her grasp bust she just squeezed tighter and ran faster.

She might be the only one on Allen's side but for now, at least, she knew she could trust the twins not to hurt him. Because they knew it would hurt her and they hated seeing Road unhappy.

XXX

It was itchy.

It didn't hurt.

It wasn't in any form of pain.

It was just itchy.

But it was the itchiest thing Allen had ever experienced. He wanted to take off the cast and just scratch his leg until it turned raw but Neah and Cross both said that there was no way he could be healed by now. So Allen had to just deal with the mind numbing itch and wait for his leg to repair. The rest of his injuries had faded into dull pink marks on his skin and the constant exhaustion was gone so now Allen spent the majority of the time wide awake and well aware of the itch.

He was constantly subjugated to the itch. It invaded his sleep and it was an ever-present cloud. He felt it when he was reading, eating, talking, taking a bath, there was no time when Allen didn't feel it. It was going to drive him insane if it didn't go away. Cross had mentioned something about the itch being caused buildup of dead skin so now Allen was disgusted as well as agitated.

In his irritation, Allen had put his mask over his face and started trying to wriggle his foot to see if he could still feel the break. His leg felt whole now, and Allen was egger to have his cast removed. But that would not be any time soon. So he had been trying to keep himself occupied. He really wanted to open FALL again but Neah popped in every other second so he couldn't read it. Cross had made it perfectly clear that he didn't want Neah to see the book. Not to say that Allen wanted Neah to go away, quite the reverse really. But he also wanted to find out more about the book Cross had given him.

But Neah was gone for now, and so was Cross. Allen had no idea when either of them would return but for now he was going to read. A pretend that he didn't feel the itch. Carefully, Allen fished the book out from under a pillow.

he gazed at the fixating cover for a few seconds as he tried to come to grips with the fact that what he was seeing was his soul before Allen tucked it under his arm.

He dragged his useless leg with him to the center of his large bed before he laid down on his stomach and pressed his thumb to the lock. "I am Allen Walker." Allen informed it and the lock vanished. Allen caught it as it swung open and he flicked to the front.

There was a cover page with a symbol that looked vaguely like a pentagram with a sideways cross and a little snake coiled in the center. There was a trident under that, prongs pointing down, with a rose twisting up the body. It was drawn in with black ink, and it still held its integrity despite the shriveling of the paper.

Allen knew what the meanings of the individual symbols were, but he got the feeling that this drawing predated anything he could have recognized. Allen frowned at the image and he traced one of the pentagram's prongs before he turned the page. He could ask his Master about it later, for now he wanted to get on with it. There was one sentence on the following page, in such tiny print that Allen had to lean forward and squint at it.

'_This book is who we are.'_

Well that was…interesting. Allen wondered who wrote it and what they meant by it. Clearly 'we' referred to mages. Cross had said that this book was the history of magic and mages so…did the phrase mean 'we are our history', then? Allen's frown deepened slightly before he shrugged it off. That had some dark implications but Allen didn't really want to stop. He wanted to, needed to; know what was written and one ominous sentence would not deter him. Besides, he was sure that the statement was true.

There was no table of continence and no header on the next page; instead it went straight into a mass of text. There was a page number at the very bottom, though and Allen made a mental note to take down the page he left off on. Fortunately, all the text had been written in a much larger style than the previous page and Allen could read it easily enough. Allen looked up at the door but no one was coming. He was completely alone and free to read.

_Magic, despite the name is nothing supernatural. In fact, it is completely natural. It existed before humans did, it existed before even our world did and it will continue to exist long after humans are gone. To understand it, you must first understand how the universe works. If one was to say that the universe as we perceive it is made up of a substance called 'matter' then we must also take into consideration that such things as 'dark-matter' and 'anti-matter' could also, plausibly, exist. _

Dark-matter _did_ exist. Allen knew that was what Neah used. Neah had even explained it to him, once. Matter was what made up all perceivable substances while dark-matter existed around matter as something that could not be seen. It wasn't stronger than matter; it was merely different than it. In nature, they would work together and protect each other's weaknesses so that both could continue to exist. They didn't consciously work together, Neah had been vague but from what Allen had gathered, they were drawn together. But when used against each other, they became each other's weakness. The book didn't mention the whole 'used against each other' thing but it confirmed Allen's belief about what they were.

_Anti-matter, on the other hand, is the opposite of both matter and dark-matter. It must exist outside of our known universe, as anti-matter explodes when it comes into contact with regular or dark matter. While the other two are like two sides of the same coin, anti-matter is something completely different. It is truly the complete reverse of them and if they ever come into contact in the natural environment, they will attempt to fuse then reject each other, causing mass destruction. The resulting explosion would create a void where nothing can exist. For this reason, anti-matter is considered the most dangerous substance in existence. _

No, really? FALL really was repetitive, wasn't it? Allen twitched his leg a bit to see if that would help the itch at all before he went back to reading.

_Magic is a general term for the manipulation of matter beyond what would normally be possible. If matter normally moves in a straight line and forms a sort of fabric, then magic would be the warping of this line to form abnormalities. Life itself, whether or not you believe in any sort of deity, is one such normality and could be considered a form of magic. Larger forms of naturally occurring magic can be observed in the existence of things such as black holes or even-_

"Black holes?" Allen repeated. "What's a black hole?" He had never heard that term before and he supposed that he would have to ask Cross later. Maybe he should start making a list of things to ask Cross.

FALL, is seemed, had other ideas because the second Allen asked the question the lettering on the page rippled and began to pool together into a large bloat of ink that spread across the paper to form new words. Allen reeled back in alarm as a large diagram sketched itself out. That was unexpected but he was also reading the book that used his soul for a cover. Maybe he should stop having expectations and reading it would become easier. Allen had asked a question and FALL had answered it. It defied logic. It was also magic so logic need not apply.

_A black hole is the name of an area where space and time itself is drawn inward to form a vacuum. It is believed that they are created when a star implodes. A black hole gradually grows larger as it destroys more and more of the surrounding space. Nothing can escape a black hole, not even light itself. (see diagram) _

_It has been speculated that black holes are portals into other dimensions but this theory has never been tested. It is known that anti-matter can form within black holes, and it is this bizarre phenomenon that leads some to the conclusion that it leads to another universe. It is very likely that there is a black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. When it expands to be large enough, the Earth will probably be destroyed by it. _

"Oh." Allen said. He stared at the diagram for a while and he ran a finger across it. Who knew that? How did FALL know that? Allen tucked a strand of hair behind his mask. He noticed that he could no longer feel the itch in his leg but the instant he made the observation it returned with a vengeance. "Thank you; can I see the last page, please?" Allen asked politely. Much to his delight, the ink rippled then transformed into the original text.

Suddenly, Allen felt a wrenching feeling in the pit of his stomach and his head snapped up so he could look at the door. There was no sound to speak of, but Allen knew someone was coming. He needed to hide FALL and he needed to do it now. Allen scrambled out of his comfortable position and jammed FALL under its old pillow before he moved to his regular spot. There was a puzzle box on the table next to the bed and Allen scooped it up and went about fiddling with it as if he had been doing that the whole time. As almost an afterthought, he slipped off his mask and let it rest on his collarbone once more.

Allen wondered why he had suddenly become alarmed. Had it even been his emotions or…? Allen shot FALL's hiding place a glare out of the corner of his eye. Was it somehow the book's fault? At this point, Allen doubted anything about the book would surprise him.

As he had sensed, there was a knock at the door then a pause before Neah walked in, carrying a large bag of food and looking extraordinarily pleased with himself. "Hey Neah, what'd you do?" Allen asked with a smile. He could smell food and his mouth started watering. He tossed to puzzle box off to one side and accepted the bag with open arms.

"Destroyed a few dozen Akuma, found some Innocence, and got free food." Neah said as he sat himself down next to Allen. "Pretty good day, all things considered." He frowned slightly as Allen started to wolf down his food but he said nothing. Allen knew the second his leg was healed Neah would make him clean up before every meal and dress nicely but for now he got to eat here.

"CanIgumuuufstof?" Allen asked around a mouthful of bread. Neah lifted an eyebrow in clear disapproval so Allen waited until his mouth was empty before he asked again. "Can I get my cast off now?"

"No, give it a few more weeks."

"Tch," Allen snorted. Those apples looked wonderful, and he scooped one up before biting into it. He wondered where Neah had got his hands on apples this time of year, it was still early spring. "Do you know where Master is?"

"No, but he'll show up eventually, I'm sure." Neah laughed dryly. Allen grinned and he took another large bite out of is apple. It really was quiet good, maybe Neah had gone to a greenhouse somewhere? There was a long silence while Allen ate and Neah seemed to be lost in thought before an idea struck Allen.

"When I am healed," Allen gave Neah a hard stare. The Noah blinked as he was jerked out of his thoughts and Allen waited until e had his attention before continuing, "Can I come with you? I hate being stuck here." Neah looked surprised for a second before he smiled and ruffled Allen's hair.

"No way, Allen. It's way too dangerous." Allen huffed and looked away. Neah didn't need to tease Allen about it; it had been an honest question, after all. "I'll tell you what," Neah said. "When you get stronger, I'll be okay if you leave with Cross."

"With Master?" Allen repeated nervously. "Is that really necessary?"

"Tyki."

Allen caved. It was hard to argue that, it had been that one person that single handedly shattered Allen's body and it had been Cross that saved him. So those were not the strictest rules Neah could have enforced. Although Allen was fairly certain that e would die anyway if he was left under Cross's tender wing. Neah noticed Allen's unhappiness because he quickly added, "Then, after a while, you can go off on your own, okay?" Allen smiled at that and he nodded.

"Okay."

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**And that's what FALL can do. :3 **


	25. Link to emotions

**This is very late. Very, very late. D: But it's late because I was in FRANCE! :D France was amazing! I loved it so much. Especially Blois, everyone was so nice. I know only basic French, though so I sounded like a four year old when I spoke to people. But at least I could talk to people. -_- **

**Hetalia really did get France spot on. XD **

**Oh, and I have 250 reviews! :D *hugs you all* And not a single one was mean or a waste of my time!**

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Liverpool. It was a large enough place, with plenty of surrounding areas that an orphan could come from. Far from being any easier, the search for 'Allen' was just getting more and more difficult. Now that they knew his name wasn't actually Allen they just had to try describing him as best they could. Not that any of them were even sure as to what they were looking for. Had Allen been malnourished? What kind of clothes had he worn? What was his disposition? How many people had known about his arm?

They had gone too all the orphanages in the area but no one had known who the nameless brunette could have been. In the end, they had found a single priest that seemed to have met a boy with a similar description to the child they were looking for. Except…the boy the man described was so different from the Allen they all knew that it seemed like it had to have been a different person.

The group had settled down on some benches outside of the church and tried to digest the new information. It was warming up outside and the trees above them were just beginning to turn green, but none of them were enjoying the early spring.

"I knew a boy with a red arm, although his hair was more of a reddish brown, rather than brown. It's possible that the color changed as he got older," the priest had told them. "He wouldn't speak, I don't even know if he could. He seemed almost feral. He only came to church a few times for food. Poor child, I could make out all his bones under his skin. Must have come because he was desperate. He stayed in as briefly as he possibly could and then he vanished right when he started to look a little healthier." When they pressed the old man for an age he had estimated Allen to be around seven or eight but he was very malnourished and small. He could very well have been upwards of ten.

Now they had a little bit of new information to digest. First, considering that the person the priest described really was Allen, he used to have reddish hair. Second, he must have lived on his own for a long time or had a bad experience if he was uncomfortable around people. That, or he had lived outdoors and didn't like being inside. Third, he didn't speak; either because he didn't know how or he refused to.

Lavi leaned forward on the bench and seemed to be lost in thought. Lenalee's eyes were large and her gaze kept on flickering between her other team members. Bookman had left with the golem to talk to Komui. Timothy didn't know what to think. He was in over his head and it was becoming more and more difficult to comprehend the situation he was in. He had never in his life though he would be involved in digging up another person's past like this. In all his daydreams, he had been a bright and shinning hero that could defeat everything the Earl had to offer. But now it seemed like things wouldn't be so simple.

Timothy had wanted o save Allen from his Noah. But how could he ever save Allen from his past? For how much longer could he just uncover the truth and keep going on? He brought up his knees and wrapped his arms around them as he thought. A faint breeze stirred his hair, bring with it the smells of town and Timothy shivered slightly.

"You know, you don't have to keep doing this." Timothy blinked and looked up to see his Innocence kneeling in front of him in his human form. "You could back out, they would understand." The Innocence gestured at Lavi and Lenalee.

_Tsukikami,_ Timothy frowned at him._ I can't do that. I have to protect people as an exorcist. How can I do that if I can't even help a teammate? _

Tsukikami straightened up. Out of habit, Timothy checked to make sure that no one was looking at the manifestation of his Innocence but the two teens were still on either side of him, looking away. Timothy looked back at Tsukikami and was surprised to see his Innocence glaring at him. "That boy is a Noah now!" Tsukikami growled and the sound sent another shiver down Timothy's spine. "He is no longer your teammate! I'm sick of watching you hurt yourself over _that_!" Timothy sat, thunderstruck for a moment before his gaze hardened and he stood up quickly while clinching his fists. Tsukikami turned into vapor and disappeared as his accommodator passed through him but his feelings still lingered. Lavi turned his head at the sudden movement and lifted an eyebrow when he saw the expression on the child's face.

"That's it!" Timothy shouted.

"Eh?" Lenalee turned to look at him as well and several passersby gave him a funny look. But Timothy didn't care.

"I want to help Allen! He's not a Noah, and he can still be saved! Even if this is painful, I don't care! I _will_ save Allen, no matter how hard it gets and no matter what I have to learn about his past! Allen is my friend and I don't want him to disappear, even if that means I have to suffer a little!" Timothy shouted at the Innocence that was no longer there. He felt like he was saying something that was beyond his years but he felt strengthened b his own words. Timothy knew that Allen would try to save him if their roles were reversed.

"Timothy," Lenalee said and Timothy realized that he had just shouted a one sided argument out loud. His cheeks immediately began to burn and he turned around slowly to face them. Much to his surprise, Lenalee was smiling at him. Lavi just looked a little surprised but he was smiling too. "You're right, Tim." Lenalee said and she held out her arms. After a short pause, Timothy walked forward into her hug. Her hair had grown longer, now it reached just past her shoulders and Timothy had to turn his head to get away from it.

"You're right. Thanks for saying that." Lenalee hugged him tightly to her chest and, after a long pause, Timothy hugged her back.

"We have new orders." Lenalee and Timothy let each other go and they both looked up to see a frowning Bookman standing next to Lavi, who had apparently noticed him coming and was not surprised by his appearance.

"What Orders?" Lavi asked impatiently as Bookman started to pause in his speech.

"Another member will be joining this team. We must wait here for him." The Bookman continued as if he had not been interrupted while simultaneously smacking Lavi offside the head and causing the teen to fall off the bench and onto the cobblestone street.

"Uh?" Timothy said, not sure what to think.

"Who?" Lavi asked resentfully around a mouthful of dust and Lenalee repeated the question just a half a second later in a clearer voice.

"Howard Link."

XXX

Cross was probably just as board as Allen. Possibly more, as the kid was constantly reading rather than loitering as Cross was forced to do. He couldn't go ahead and try to teach anything to Allen until he understood more of the basics, which might take a while. Allen was still in the segment that explained what magic was, barely past the first chapter. To be fair, it had taken Cross two months to read FALL cover to cover, but that didn't make him any less impatient. He spent his days sitting in random rooms of the Ark, brooding or reading depending on his mood.

It would take Allen even longer to read FALL if Cross was sitting in the same room as him. Cross knew that Allen was nervous around him that was what Cross had planned, after all. Allen had shown far less of his cocky side after Neah's arrival; whether because of Neah or because he was younger and weaker. For whatever the reason Allen was not the same person he had been. It was almost ironic, really.

Allen had once loathed and feared Neah once because he couldn't stand the thought of his personality changing but it had been because of his love for Neah that he had changed the most.

Cross took a long drag on his cigarette and glared out the window. Outside was a sheer wall of black rock, turned ominous under a dark and stormy sky. Rain silently hit the glass then ran down, distorting the outside world. Obviously, the image wasn't real. He was staring at an illusion cast by the Ark to reflect his own mood. Even knowing this, Cross felt a strange satisfaction to have his mood effect something, imaginary or not.

He was stuck playing babysitter for a kid that was engrossed in his own little world. Not only that but there was nothing for Cross to do! It wasn't as though Allen was going anywhere; his leg was still in a cast. Which he complained incessantly about. Neah wasn't watching Allen because he was off doing…something. Neah said that he was gathering information and weakening both the Order and the Earl but he had not been specific about his actions. Cross could see if Allen knew any more but asking his apprentice seemed wrong. It might make Allen choose between Cross and Neah and Cross didn't want to know what he would choose.

After another moment of watching the 'rain', Cross turned away and started flattening his hair back. He had lost Maria and he had lost Judgment. All he had left was his magic and his Apprentice. Cross was not stupid, he knew there was a high chance that Neah would cast him away once Allen had mastered Cross's last skill but for now, Cross couldn't convince himself that it was worth it to care. He was doing this to help Allen, not Neah. When Allen found out the truth, and Cross had no doubt that he would, he would reject both Neah and Cross regardless of what he did. That thought made Cross smirk a little.

No matter how attached to Neah Allen had become, he would go right back to loathing him the second he knew what Neah had done. He would hate Cross for lying to him as well but that would be fine by him. At the very least it would mean that Allen was back to being Allen.

Cross ground the butt of his cigarette into the ashtray Neah had begged him to use and pulled out a fresh one. He put it between his lips and held it there without lighting it. He had thought that he had heard something. After a few seconds of listening, Cross heard it again. A very faint, tentative voice saying "Master?"

Not too quickly, Cross left the room he had staked out and walked across the hall to his Apprentice's door without bringing his ashtray. He had picked a room where he could easily go to Allen's and he could hear what went on. That was how he always knew when Neah had arrived and when Allen needed something. Often times, Allen would call then decide that he could solve it by himself which was often more trouble than it was worth.

Without even bothering to knock, Cross swung open the door and stepped inside to see what Allen wanted.

XXX

Allen was sitting up, with FALL on his lap and one hand wrapped around the mask over his collar. The second the door opened, Allen looked up with a small frown on his face. He looked perplexed; evidently he had encountered something he did not understand.

As of late, Allen had started to look a bit better. He had gained some of the weight he so desperately needed and most all of his injuries had faded into faint pink marks. But his hair and clothing looked tussled and he seemed a little strained and jittery from being forced to stay put for so long. He was sitting at an odd angle to try to keep weight off a bedsore. Timcampy was resting against Allen's hip, looking more like a loyal dog than a golem. Cross took all this in a second and his face showed nothing of his inner thoughts.

"What?" Cross asked curtly, barely stepping into the room. Neah had cleaned it up a bit on principle but it still was Allen's space and Cross didn't want to venture across what might have been a floor. Allen blinked at him and seemed to be considering something before he hardened his resolve and looked at Cross evenly.

"FALL rewrote itself in Russian and I can't get it to change back." Allen pointed down at the book that Cross could no longer read and shot his Master a questioning frown. Even without looking at the book, Cross was fairly certain he knew what the problem was.

"Did you drop it?"

"No," Allen shook his head. "But what does that have to do with-"

"Did you insult it?"

"No, I… maybe." Allen admitted. Cross tossed his head and Allen continued, albeit reluctantly. "It wasn't being helpful and I said it was useless. But what does that have to do with-"

"Apologize."

"What?" Allen asked and his eyebrows dropped low.

"Apologize to FALL." Cross said again. It took Allen a second to realize that Cross was serious before he leaned forward a bit and looked at Cross as if he was insane.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

With a resigned snort, Allen looked down at the book and said, "I am very sorry. Please go back into English." There was a long pause while Allen stared at FALL until he looked up again. "That didn't help."

"Mean it."

"Oh come on!" Allen protested. "What am I supposed to be doing?"

"You offended it. FALL won't let you read it until you apologize with feeling." Cross said and it was all he could do to hold a straight face. He had once had a similar issue with the book and his Master hadn't even bothered to hide his amusement. In the end, Cross had shouted at both him and the book then took off until he had calmed down a bit. He knew for a fact that Allen would do something similar if Cross did that now. While it would be amusing, it would mean it would take even longer for Allen to get through the book.

Allen muttered something under his breath that would have made Neah proud but Cross couldn't make out the exact words so he let it slide. "FALL," Allen gave Cross a half hearted glare before he looked back at the book. "I am very sorry that I called you useless. Please, accept my apology." There was another pause while nothing happened until Allen's face suddenly lit up. "It worked!" Allen said happily. Cross just grunted then left without another word.

When he got back to the room with his ash tray, the view outside had changed to a rather serine image of Stonehenge at spring under a cloudy sky. Cross lit his cigarette and frowned at the view. Immediately, a few drops of rain started to fall but it was nothing like the torrent that had come down earlier. With a resigned snort, Cross let the window show whatever it wanted. He was in a foul mood, regardless.

* * *

**Well….nothing really happened in this chapter. It feels like filler. T.T Sorry~! It just seemed like a good place to end! The next chapter Allen will get his cast off.  
**


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